Unwilling Weapon
by Canucklehead Cowgirl
Summary: Volume 5! Everyone is getting happier in this installment of the 714 Universe. Of course, problems will always surface and as usual, actions have consequences ... what will they get into now? (Kurt Wagner/Kate Bishop; Scott Summers; Logan; Various X-Men & Avengers & others, OC's where they are most desperately needed)
1. Blackbird, Fly

**Notes: Hello and welcome back! For those of you that have been following this travelling beauty, Hi. Keep it up. We're enjoying ourselves. And for my regulars that have not followed this one yet? I know it's a departure from the norm, but you'll be back to your regularly scheduled story soon enough. Someone short was fighting terribly with me to get ANY progress on that. You'll see why when the next chapter on the Ferals goes up.**

 **We thought we'd start off this volume with some long-overdue happiness and see where it goes from there. After all, that's what we're in the business of doing: making these darlings happy. :)**

* * *

 **Chapter 1: "Blackbird, Fly"**

Half the mansion was in a flutter of activity getting ready for the trip up to Alaska for Scott and Annie's wedding, but when Noh announced that he'd finished putting the last touches on the new blackbird, it was a welcome distraction from the packing and the planning and the stress. Plus, he'd really wanted to get it done as an early wedding present to Scott so that it would be one less thing Scott had to worry about when he got back from his honeymoon.

Noh was absolutely beaming as he led the X-Men down to the hangar, excitedly explaining to everyone present what he, Forge, and Scott had done to create a "much better craft than that Shi'ar monstrosity you had before." The intuitive controls — the low-grade self-healing functionality that meant minor damage would heal itself ... that sort of thing. Though, of course, Forge and Scott seemed to be the only ones following half of his explanations as he just excitedly took them through.

But Noh and Forge had been working on the blackbird alone for the past few days while Scott had more pressing things to attend to — and really, they were only finishing touches, most of which Noh wanted to do himself. Making sure the Kree technology was fully integrated, making sure the intuitive controls wouldn't reject any of the potential pilots, and so on.

"And here she is," Noh declared happily as he swept an arm out to show off the new blackbird.

The design was definitely familiar from the outside at least, though perhaps a bit slimmer and sleeker. Even without the engines running, though, the whole thing seemed to hum slightly with energy that Noh explained was simply part of the Kree technology he'd integrated, though the low hum only contributed to a feeling of power that Noh was going for in the design.

"Scott, why don't you try her out for yourself?" Noh asked with a wide grin once everyone seemed appropriately awed.

Scott broke into a wide grin. "Let's see what she can do," he agreed as he climbed into the cockpit, the beaming smile obvious to anyone as he looked over the controls he and Forge and Noh had been working on for so long, clearly excited to see the plane in action.

Noh was in top form as he showed the rest of the team the upgrades they'd made, the slight changes to the interior of the craft, though he was sure to point out that they'd tried to keep much of the layout the same — like where the stash of medical supplies was — so that they wouldn't get tripped up on missions.

"Can't change too much or the dinosaurs get confused," Kate told Logan with a huge smirk.

"Rawr," he deadpanned right back.

As soon as Noh felt they'd seen as much as they needed to see, he suggested that everyone take a seat and then called up to Scott to tell him they were ready for the test flight — and Scott was clearly only too happy to oblige.

When the engines started up, they were almost silent except for the ever-present hum of energy — and then, for those of the X-Men who were listening, or who had enhanced senses, there was another noise just underneath the sound of the engines. A very soft, melodic sound of strings starting up.

The music only got louder as soon as the blackbird was in the air — and it was quickly apparent that Noh had chosen this song specifically for this moment.

" _Blackbird singing in the dead of night,_ " came the opening line over the speakers that Noh had been sure to set up in the plane — the sound system was perfect, and of course, it meant that they could hear every word.

The X-Men all glanced at each other and then at Noh, who was entirely straight-faced as the song continued: " _Take these broken wings and learn to fly._ "

It was obvious as the song kept playing that it was starting to click for the team just how perfect the song was for the occasion — for Scott ... for the whole thing. And by the time they got to the second verse, Logan simply fell apart laughing. Not the usual chuckles they had all seen — but honest to God, clutching his stomach belly laughing with tears streaming down his cheeks.

Scott's face and neck were nearly as red as his glasses by the time the song was over, and half the team was in stitches — partly from the song itself, partly from laughing at Scott's reaction, and partly because Logan's laugh was infectious when he was laughing that _hard_. Kurt in particular was wiping tears from his eyes as he was also unable to sit upright, simply doubled over beside his best friend as, every time it seemed one of them might be able to stop, they'd start up again all over at the other's laughing fit.

And of course, the bamfs were in fits. Their giggles were the loudest thing in the plane as they simply fell apart, on the floor and rolling around — especially when one of them managed to stop giggling long enough to sit down and pretend to be flying a plane, which just set them all off again.

It seemed like Noh had queued up an entire playlist for their first flight — though nothing quite matched the perfection of that opening number. As soon as "Blackbird" had ended, the opening to "Be My Baby" started up, and Noh finally broke his straight-faced routine to grin over at Jubilee and Kate and mouth 'the drums.' It was his favorite song, and they both knew it — though his enthusiasm for it did nothing to help the two gasping, crying X-Men behind them.

When they finally got back to the hangar, Scott was doing his best to try and act like nothing had happened as he told Noh that the plane handled wonderfully — but it was obvious he was still a bit pink around the edges as half his team was still chortling as they walked off the plane.

"I think you broke Logan," Jubilee told Noh with a giggle.

Noh was grinning wide as he kissed her cheek. "I didn't realize it was _possible_ to do this thing," he teased, looking over at Logan, who didn't look like he'd be getting up anytime soon.

"I don't think I've ever seen him laugh that hard," Jubilee said with a grin. "Ever."

Noh puffed up his chest the slightest bit — Jubes wasn't sure he even realized he was doing it. "I just thought it was the perfect song for the unveiling," he said with as much of a straight face as he could manage.

She shook her head and threw her arms around his neck to kiss him with a little laugh. "You are the perfect straight-man — has anyone ever told you that?"

He just grinned broadly at her. "Not until now, but I do like the sound of it from you," he said as he kissed her back.

A short while later, Kurt and Logan finally emerged from the plane, still chuckling, arms around each other for support. When they passed Noh, Logan just started to lose it again. "That was _perfection,_ " Logan managed to get out.

Noh couldn't help but chuckle. "I thought it was an appropriate soundtrack," he said with a smirk as he tried and failed to keep up the straight-man routine.

"Thank you for that. I needed it," Logan said as Kurt led him off, still half-shaking with laughter.

Noh just grinned after the two of them as they left the hangar before he turned to Jubilee. "It wasn't my intention to cripple him with laughter, but… do you think it has earned me a better name than 'Bug Boy'?" he teased.

"I'm sure," Jubilee giggled. "You may or may not like whatever he comes up with next, though. And when you irritate him, it _will_ go back to Bug Boy."

"I have suffered through months in this mansion with the first name. I'm sure I can handle the next," Noh laughed.

* * *

Even in August, it was still cold enough high in the Alaskan mountains where Kate and Kurt were staying that the mornings were best spent curled up in warm blankets with coffee and snuggles — not that this wasn't how the two of them spent most mornings anyhow, just that it lasted a bit longer because it was colder outside.

They'd made good on their plans to head up to the mountains for a few days alone before the rest of the X-Men arrived for Scott and Annie's wedding, and for the past three days, it had been nothing but skiing, hot chocolate, and snuggles — the perfect getaway.

The rest of the team was set to arrive that evening, so they were supposed to pack up and head back down to civilization soon, but for the moment, they were content to stay in bed for a while longer and enjoy the peace and quiet before they hit the hustle and bustle of a lot of wedding preparations.

"Would you look at this," Kate teased quietly as she poured herself another cup of coffee. "Made it through a whole vacation just the two of us and nobody got grabbed or stabbed or anything. Must be a record."

"I'm nearly as surprised as you are," he teased right back. "Though we do have a few hours before we leave. Maybe we should hold off on the victory celebrations just yet."

She just smirked and reached over him to set down her mug on the nightstand on his side of the bed so that she could properly snuggle him. "We'll throw a parade: 'Successful Vacation, No Kidnappings.' Everyone will be so impressed."

"It's the little things in life," he agreed as he nestled into her hair.

It took them an absurd amount of time to finally leave behind the little lodge where they'd been staying and to start the hike down to the main roads to go back to Anchorage and meet the rest of the team, and they weren't exactly in a hurry then, either. The mountain air was crisp and refreshing, and it was nice to just _amble_ down the mountainside without hurrying from one thing to the next — from class to training to a mission to whatever else.

Kate kept her arm tightly looped through Kurt's — he was _warm_ and fuzzy, and he was comfortable, and there was just something about walking down a mountain with her little personal heater that made her grin. They were about halfway down to where the shuttle would take them to the airfield to meet up with their friends when she spotted the first glimpse of movement and picked her head up off of Kurt's arm, frowning as she swept her gaze out over the area.

 _Welp. Vacation's over_ , she thought to herself when she spotted it again — just a quick glimpse of someone hiding, but enough to tell her that someone _was_ watching them.

Kurt had noticed the change and looked at her curiously for only a moment before he started to follow her gaze as well, both of them half-tensed as they made their way down — though it wasn't until they reached the stop where they were supposed to meet the shuttle that they actually spotted their follower, and the words Kurt muttered under his breath were not ones that he'd taught her in his German lessons yet.

The guy had to be a Marauder. Big and brutish and stupid-looking — he just had to be. He had the same garish, pale complexion, with dark circles under his eyes. And as soon as he saw that they'd seen him, he just got up and walked off — which was not all that comforting, considering the last time they'd run into the Marauders.

The two of them kept their eyes peeled for any sign of anyone else all the way back to the airfield, but for the time being, they didn't see anything — not that it made them feel much better about the situation.

When they greeted the rest of the X-Men after the blackbird had landed, it was obvious that they weren't the only ones who were tense, though with Scott, it was for an entirely different reason. He was clearly nervous, and no matter how many times Annie assured him that everything was going to be perfect no matter what, there was no mistaking the stance that looked like he was half-ready for a battle.

So they decided to talk to Logan and just… leave Scott out of this one. At least until absolutely necessary. If they told him _now_ that they'd seen Marauders, they weren't sure his heart could handle it.

"Ok," Logan said as he slid up next to Kurt, sure already that something was going on just from the look on the fuzzy blue Elf's face. "Spill."

Kurt looked over his shoulder to make sure that Scott was safely out of earshot — talking with Jubilee, who had taken over on Annie and was chatting happily about all the details of the reception and making sure Scott stuck around to be just as excited "because you _should_ be excited, mister."

"Kate and I saw one of the Marauders on our way down here," Kurt said in his lowest whisper. "He left before we could see where he went — and we haven't seen any others. Yet. But they're here."

"Show me where he was," Logan replied with a little smirk. "Those guys all have a similar stink."

Kurt nodded with a little smirk to match, and it wasn't long at all before the two of them were standing halfway down the mountain as Kurt explained where he and Kate had been when they spotted him.

Logan nodded and started to spiral out until he found the spot, and from there, he nosed off down the guy's scent trail as easily as if it had been lit with neon light. But — it ended at an old railroad track. He turned to look at Kurt, who of course had stuck with him the whole way. "We probably oughta go take a look around wherever this wedding is going down. I _know_ Scott didn't invite that creep."

"Agreed," Kurt said with a little frown as he followed his friend back. "I'm sure a perimeter sweep or nine couldn't hurt, either."

"That's the plan," Logan agreed. "And one of us should keep a close eye on Scott. Just in case."

"I'll ask our resident Hawkeye," Kurt suggested with a light smile.

"Might be better to have her stick to the bride," Logan pointed out. "You know how Essex is."

Kurt nodded, though he'd lost all trace of a frown at that. "Yes. I know," he said softly, then shook his head. "I'll stay close to Scott myself — if nothing else, I'll try and 'port him out if I have to, and keep a few bamfs with Annie and Kate. Just in case."

"Alright then," Logan said. "Meantime, let's go try and … be social."

The two friends made their way back to the resort lodge where most of the wedding guests were staying for the night — where it was plain to see that Annie and her two older sisters were running the show, with Annie's middle sister, Theresa, looking proud as she showed her siblings the _adorable_ little boy she and her husband had just adopted from Honduras. She and her husband, Craig, couldn't have children of their own, and they had adopted Aman from Ethiopia a few years previously. And while Theresa was more than happy to show off the adorable little boy, she also seemed to have put herself in charge of making sure no party guests asked the "when are you having your own?" question of her little sister — not when it was none of their business to pry anyway. And her strategy of deflecting the question with a cute little baby was highly effective.

Annie had a fairly large extended family, all of whom were thrilled to pieces to hear as many stories as possible about how Annie and Scott has met as well as anything else that they felt they needed to catch up on, and as the night wore on, those that weren't part of the Hale clan found that it was getting more and more difficult to follow the conversation. All of them were from the Deep South, and the accents seemed to be getting thicker not only as it got later — but simply as a result of talking with each other, like they were feeding off each other.

Most of the X-Men were content to stay on the periphery of the family group, half keeping an eye on things and just enjoying the show as Scott was pulled from one little knot of Annie's family to the next for introductions — though a few of them got pulled into the fun.

Leslie Ann, Annie's oldest niece, was leading a group of a few other kids in trying to wear Bobby and Peter out — since, she insisted, they were the most fun and would play tag until they dropped. Which they did.

Though, of course, Annie's nephew, Aman, didn't play tag. Instead, he was content to just quietly stare at Kurt for a little while, tightly holding the bamf doll Kurt had given him the last time he was in Alaska... until one of the bamfs approached him and quietly said 'bamf,' which had Aman giggling so loudly it drew Kurt's attention to the little boy. And after that — Aman refused to crawl out of Kurt's lap for the remainder of the night, which, naturally, had Jubilee repeatedly elbowing Kate in the ribs as soon as she noticed Kurt being held willingly hostage by the adorable little boy.

"I'm just saying. You should look at him," Jubilee said out of the corner of her mouth. "Now."

Kate stuck her tongue out at Jubilee for a second and then turned to see Kurt … and let out a noise that was somewhere between 'this is adorable' and 'I can't believe this.' She tried to cover by taking a sip of champagne and said, with a wave, "Aww, it's his biggest fan."

"Kurt's or Aman's?" Jubilee asked with her best innocent expression.

Kate raised an eyebrow Jubilee's way and then smirked. "Both."

"That might be true," Jubilee said. "But for very different reasons."

"I'm going to have to take a page out of America's book and start calling you Glitter Queen if you don't shut up," Kate said, shaking her head. She couldn't believe Jubilee was still teasing her about this; it had been weeks since the tiny Katie incident, and still Jubilee was convinced that a baby Elf was just _necessary_ to her life.

"I'll shut up — you just have to prove me right first."

"Well now I'm just going to have to invest in purple earplugs," Kate teased. "Seeing as that means you'll be loud and obnoxious about this _forever_."

"Forever must be a lot shorter than I thought," Jubilee said with a laugh.

"If Noh was here, he'd say something about temporal relativity, but I don't speak Kree nonsense," Kate teased. "But _you_? You better brush up. I'm sure he'll want to teach _your_ itty bitties his native language."

"That could be fun," Jubilee shot back, not even shrinking from the shot. "You're already learning German, right?"

Kate had to shake her head at herself. "Oh, I walked into that one."

Jubilee just giggled and leaned on her shoulder. "You really, really did."

Meanwhile, across the room, Annie's brother-in-law, Anton, had made his way over to talk to Storm with a little smile. "I never did thank you, ma'am," he told her politely, "for helpin' me an' Rachel move down with our girls an' gettin' me that job with the state police so we could be close to Annie."

"What makes you think I did anything?" Storm asked with a serene smile.

"I know y'all X-Men had somethin' to do with it, else I wouldn't've gotten so many questions 'bout how I found myself with a personal recommendation from Nick Fury, director of SHIELD," he pointed out with a low grin. "Didn't tell 'em nothin' 'cept to say it was a friend of a friend, in case y'all would get in trouble."

"I'm afraid I can't take credit for that," she replied, still with that same calm smile in place. "I don't even know Nick Fury but in passing. Certainly not well enough to arrange for something like that."

He just grinned at her even wider. "Yes ma'am, but our Annie says you run things 'round here, so you're the one to thank all the same."

At that, Storm finally had to laugh lightly. "I _may_ have asked someone to arrange for an impressive recommendation," she admitted, "but I didn't know who it would come from."

"Well, I sure appreciate it," Anton told her sincerely. "The job and the way you been with my girls. They been tellin' me all 'bout visitin' the school, and the whole lot of you're spoilin' 'em rotten."

"You should be proud; they're beautiful, smart girls," Storm said with a genuine smile.

"Get it all from their mother," he said. "I just put food in their mouths."

Storm just laughed at that. "Good answer."

The party continued on for some time, but eventually, slowly, people started to head up to bed. After all, there would be plenty of time for socializing and partying at the reception the next day, and some of Annie's massive extended family had little ones that needed to go to sleep.

They were all sure to give their congratulations to the happy couple on their way out — and the X-Men were sure to promise to keep an eye out and stop trouble, since Scott still looked like he was sure something _cataclysmic_ was going to happen. But still, the only troublesome thing that had happened so far was the fact that Aman had nearly pitched a fit when he was told he had to go to bed and couldn't stay with his favorite X-Man — until Kurt promised to see him at the wedding, and he calmed down enough to let his parents take him to bed.

The difference for those who stayed down in the foyer with a still-nervous Scott was astounding, as the silence seemed louder than the ruckus of Annie's family had been. But eventually, even Scott headed to bed — after Kurt talked him into at least _trying_ to get some sleep — and the lodge fell finally into silence.


	2. Dead Plants and Other Traditions

**Notes from robbie: Yeah, no way are our darlings going to let Scott's wedding day get ruined. Despite how uptight he can be, we love him, they love him… the Marauders don't even stand a chance!**

 **Glad to see you're all sticking with us in this newest volume, and now we'll get out of your way. It's time for a wedding, after all. Today certainly seems to be the day for it. ;)**

 **From CC: Alrighty then. All the weddings at once. Like a bandage.**

* * *

 **Chapter 2: "Dead Plants and Other Traditions"**

* * *

The morning of the wedding, the whole excitement level exploded all over again as everyone got ready for the big bash. They were to hold the ceremony outdoors under a beautiful arch that one of Annie's uncles had made himself, and as the guests filed in, the X-Men noticed that almost every one of Annie's Kindergarten kids that she'd taught had come — they even had their own little section so they could see their teacher get married, and they were all wide-eyed and star-struck on seeing the X-Men at their teacher's wedding.

Logan slipped in from walking the perimeter one last time just a few minutes before one final car pulled up to the resort, and Alex Summers got out, grinning as he just strolled right up to stand beside Scott underneath the arch as if he'd been planning it all along, while his green-haired date quietly took a seat beside Storm with a huge, beaming smile.

It was obvious from the look of surprise on Scott's face that he hadn't expected his brother to come — but that quickly turned into a huge grin as Alex just picked his brother up in a full hug and offered his congratulations and apologies for being late — "Space traffic is terrible these days, and I had to pick up a hitchhiker." With that, he jerked his thumb over his shoulder at the last member of the late arriving group, who despite everything seemed to be just trying to slip in unnoticed.

"You brought Dad," Scott said in almost disbelief, which just got Alex grinning wider.

"Like I'd let him miss this," Alex said casually, though it was obvious to anyone watching that both Summers boys were just about inches away from a teary reunion right there for everyone to see — though it looked like Alex was trying hard not to turn his brother into a puddle before he could even get married. "By the way. I'm … staying. Right here." He flashed Scott a brilliant smile that Scott could only laugh at as he just half-elbowed his way past Anton to take the best man position.

Alex smiled up at Anton. "Hey. Little brother here. Thanks for keeping my spot warm."

Anton looked surprised for only a second before he burst into a booming laugh. "Sure thing, little man."

"You can only say that because you're like what — nearly seven feet tall? We're not a short family."

Anton just grinned and leaned over to whisper low to Alex, "Ask your big brother about one-on-one basketball."

"It's not nice to pick on him like that," Alex said.

"He's marryin' into my family. He better get used to the friendly ribbing," Anton chuckled.

"Good luck with that," Alex chuckled.

With all of the wedding guests now in place — including the unexpected ones — it was time for little Leslie Ann to (finally) get to make her debut as a flower girl, skipping happily down the aisle as she very precisely tried to get flowers evenly spaced ... for about the first few rows of chairs. Then she broke into a bit of a giggle and couldn't help but throw a fistful of them into Spiderman's face as she passed and saw that he was sitting on an aisle seat — and after that, it was just a lot of petal-throwing and giggles all the way down the aisle to climb up into a seat next to Iceman, who was, she told anyone who would listen, her 'date.'

Aman was right behind Leslie Ann with his very best, very practiced smile and the rings on a pillow that he was watching closely. He had the cutest look of concentration on his face as he carefully followed after Leslie Ann, nose scrunched and clearly focused, though he did get distracted when he saw Kurt and tried to wave and almost dropped the pillow.

And then, finally, out came Annie, dressed in a flowing gown with magnolias in her bouquet and embroidered on the edges of her sleeves. She was beaming ear to ear — and the smile only seemed to get even wider when she saw the look Scott had, lips slightly parted in an 'o' shape as he temporarily lost the straight-backed posture and just ... stared at her.

Annie's family pastor, who she had grown up with in Memphis, had flown up to officiate the ceremony. He told the assembled guests how proud he was to have seen each of the Hale girls find someone special in their lives before he jokingly warned Scott that half of Memphis would be watching him to make sure he treated her right.

The pastor then stepped back a bit so that the two could exchange vows, and for a moment, Scott had fallen into a bit of nervous silence before he finally broke into a warm smile. "Annie Hale," he said with that same grin still on his face, "The life I've lived ... you see a lot of unbelievable things. And the people I've worked with ... I've told you before, they've saved my life a hundred times over. But you?" He paused and smiled nervously. "You _saved me_ , Annie. And you're my hero a thousand times over. I just hope I can do the same for you."

It was Annie's turn to be speechless for a moment after that — something that none of them had seen from her before. When she finally tried to speak again, there was a tremble in her voice. "Maybe I should've gone first," she said quietly, to a few muted chuckles. She just shook her head for a moment before she managed her own vows. "Never been worried about whether or not you loved me," she told him with a little laugh. "That much was plain enough when you made the effort to come to my family barbecues and read to my class. So here I am just trying to figure out how to tell you the same thing you say every time you play with my little nieces and nephews — and all I've got is a ring and a promise. But I hope you know I love you, Scott Summers, even if I don't say it all that much except to say it out loud."

Both of Annie's sisters and her mother were in tears by this point, and in the silence after the vows, Mary Beth's little voice was the loudest thing in the area as she asked, "Why you crynin? It's happy!" Which, of course, had the little group of guests quietly laughing as Scott and Annie exchanged rings — and then Annie's pastor declared them husband and wife.

From there, the group headed out to the roof of the resort for a luncheon — complete with a little table of snacks for the kids present — and for a chance for Scott and Annie to change into some different, less formal attire. They emerged with Annie in a summery, light dress and Scott in a suit still — though nothing like the white tie tux he'd been wearing earlier.

Throughout the luncheon and as they headed down to a tented area lit by paper lanterns for the reception, the X-Men kept their eyes peeled for any sign of trouble — though the only real disturbance came when Annie hit Scott in the arm and berated him for not telling her his father and brother were coming, despite how many times he insisted that he had _no idea_ they were coming.

The reception itself was hilarious as Anton retold the story of how he'd brought Scott home one evening — though the story was a much cleaner version for kids' ears and left out the drinking and brawling almost entirely — and had been surprised when his youngest sister-in-law took over taking care of him and basically demanding he shape up so she could get him off her couch. But it was Alex insisting that he _had_ to give a best man speech, complete with embarrassing much-younger-Scott stories that he had clearly prepared _just_ for this moment, that had half the room in stitches.

Annie's sisters also gave speeches at the dinner, though their were much more emotional, and Rachel Wright hardly made it through hers talking about her "baby sister" and the bond they had. Mary Beth looked concerned for her mother the entire time and ran over to give her a kiss as soon as she sat down again.

But the moment that did just about everyone in was the father/daughter dance — as not only Douglas, Annie's father, swept out onto the floor with Annie but Evelyn, her mother, insisted that Scott dance with her as well. He looked completely taken off guard and unable to say anything but 'yes' to her insistence, and by the end of the dance, she had given him the warmest, most affectionate hug she could manage to welcome him to the family.

Even Cable and Rachel Summers were there to celebrate the wedding, as Annie had insisted that they were part of the family and wouldn't stand for not including them. Scott had done his best to explain who they were to her, and while she didn't understand a lot of the time traveling and extradimensional nonsense, she knew they were his, so therefore, they were part of her family too. Neither of them seemed quite sure what to do with Annie yet, but they were both glad that Scott was happy, so they sort of just stepped back and let Annie direct the show the way she wanted to.

Of course, a few of her extended family members were looking a little sideways at the two of them. Cable in particular didn't exactly look like Scott's _son_ … But none of them said anything, likely thanks to the Hale sisters doing their best to make sure there was _zero_ drama at their baby sister's wedding. They all had matching glares to get their family to behave, and it was hilarious watching them work. Clearly, Scott had married into the right family.

When the cake was cut and they were finally ready to send off the happy couple, Jubilee made sure that it was under a blanket of sparkling fireworks, and it was hard to tell which of the two newlyweds was grinning wider as they drove off — even if Scott's grin was decidedly more nervous, considering how his _last_ honeymoon had turned out.

As the couple disappeared down the road, Kurt and Logan both just watched — not the happy couple but a tall, broad man several blocks down who was trying to stay hidden in the shadows. "You see that creep?" Logan asked quietly. Kurt just nodded. "If I go after him — or you 'port, he's gone. You know that, right?"

Kurt nodded quietly. "Unfortunately, yes."

The two of them stood there, just watching the creep, until Alex came over and threw an arm over each of their shoulders. "What's wrong with you two?" he half chuckled. "You're missing the party!"

"Alex, shut up and open your eyes," Logan said quietly. "Four blocks down to the right. Look quick."

Alex was still half-grinning right up until he spotted the guy, and the smile evaporated almost instantly. He turned back to Logan. "Any more of them?" he asked in a low undertone.

"Not sure, only smelled the one earlier, but you know they don't travel alone," he replied at a near whisper. "He knows we're watching. If we take off — he's gone, but I do _not_ want your brother bothered with this."

"Yeah, say no more," Alex said quickly. "Lorna and I were planning on going down to Hawaii anyway. No reason we can't make it a stakeout and hang out for a few weeks to keep them from crashing anything they're not supposed to. Kill a few creeps in between surfing trips. I'll even bring Dad and call it his contribution to the wedding."

"Let me know if you need backup, we can be there in a blink," Kurt added.

"Can do," Alex said with a nod. "Don't want Scott to deal with this on his honeymoon." He made a face in the direction of the Marauder in the shadows. "Creeps." He shook his head and let out a sigh. "I gotta go rope my travel partners into the new plan. Don't worry about a thing. I'm not about to let them screw up Scott's big day."

"All the same, take a comm," Logan told him before he handed his to Alex. "First sign of trouble, we'll be there."

* * *

The morning after they arrived back at the mansion — after the wedding party had gone late into the night and they'd finally flown back in the blackbird with Logan at the stick as the only sober X-Man — it was a bit slow for everyone. Those coming down to breakfast came at a trickle, and the coffee pot was getting plenty of use.

Noh had woken up well before Jubilee and slipped down to get some coffee, to let her sleep in, but when she finally came down and snuggled into him, he looked like he could hardly wait for her to get through the first cup before he asked, quietly, "Are all Earth weddings like that?"

"Like what?" she asked tiredly. "Loud and Southern? No."

"I meant so… focused on the individual happiness," Noh said with a raised eyebrow.

Jubes thought about it for a moment. "I mean. They should be? But ... it kind of depends on a lot of things. It's pretty normal for this part of the world."

Noh nodded thoughtfully. "I've never attended one on this world," he admitted. "In any region of it. It's a far cry from what I'm used to."

"Well, I'd say you saw a pretty good one, honestly," Jubilee said with a little shrug before she tilted her head sideways to look up at him. "What _are_ you used to seeing?"

"The weddings on my world, in my dimension, are much… simpler," Noh said, then quickly added, "This isn't a complaint. I quite enjoy your world's version, and it works for you. I wouldn't change a thing. After all, I suppose it would be impossible to focus on the glory a union brings to the Empire if one does not exist."

"It certainly sounds like a logistical problem," she admitted as she got her second cup of coffee.

"The entire marriage is a matter of logistics," Noh explained. "Arranged as soon as a Kree child passes through their first aptitude tests, after their best possible future matches are determined so they can best serve the Empire."

"Is this how you're telling me that you're engaged?"

He blinked at her for a moment in sheepish surprise. "I was once," he admitted. "She died."

"I'm sorry to hear that," she replied, giving his arm a little squeeze. "Seems like most of the people I care about have crappy luck in the love department."

"But… not you?" he prodded with a little smirk.

She paused for just a moment and burst out laughing. "I don't exactly have a great track record myself, but I've never really been engaged or married or anything, so at least there's that."

"Well, do not trouble yourself too much over _that_ ," he told her quickly. "I was eight years old, by your years."

She looked truly sad for him and set her coffee down to give him a very tender kiss on the cheek. "I'm still sorry to hear it. Poor sweet little boy."

He just wrapped her up in a hug for a moment and kissed her back with a little smile. "Jubilee, if you're going to kiss me every time I tell you such a story, then I will simply have to start lying to you to get more sugar," he teased.

"Lie to me," she said with a grin. "I don't mind if it's for kisses. Or ... you could skip the lie and just kiss me."

"Much more efficient," he agreed as he leaned in to kiss her tenderly. They stayed like that until Bobby arrived to the kitchen and very pointedly coughed, which had them both smirking.

"Mind your own business, Bobby," Jubilee giggled as she slipped back into the chair next to Noh.

"Hey, if you two are practicing for the next wedding, do it somewhere other than the kitchen," Bobby said with a shrug. "Some of us eat here."

"As long as we're not practicing the honeymoon, I don't see what your problem is," Jubilee shot back.

Bobby just gave her a _look_ as he sat down with his coffee. "Pick a date yet? Or are you still pressing the bouquet into your scrapbook?" he teased.

She just responded by making a face at him. "You are terrible. I'm not doing anything thankyouverymuch."

"I'm just saying. You're a great… catch." Bobby grinned widely.

"Fluke thing," Jubilee said with a wave. "Wasn't even trying to. Sorry to have stolen your thunder, Bobb-o. I know you were wishing you'd caught the garter."

"Yes, I meant to ask about that as well," Noh said with his head tilted to one side. "Why do you throw dead flowers everywhere? What was the point of catching dying plants?"

Jubilee just burst out laughing, only laughing harder when she saw the look of genuine confusion on Noh's face growing steadily moreso at her reaction. "I … am the wrong person to ask," she gasped out, "but I love your take on it."

"Then who should I ask?" Noh asked, honestly curious.

"Ask about what?" Kate asked as she and Kurt came into the kitchen and she immediately went to the coffee pot.

"He was asking about some of the wedding traditions from yesterday. It's a whole different world for our darling alien boy here," Jubilee replied, still shaking her head and giggling at the dying plants,though she was sure to snuggle up to him so he didn't take it as her laughing _at_ him.

Kurt broke into a wide smile. "I'm sure I can help," he offered as he slid into the seat across from them.

"Have you too been married before?" Noh asked interestedly.

"No," Kurt replied, still smiling. "But I love to perform the ceremonies."

"Ah, then you would be perfect," Noh said with a smile to match. "I was just asking Jubilee why you throw a bunch of dying flowers at the women in the group."

"Well," Kurt replied carefully, deciding to skip over the old meaning and dive into the modern interpretation. "It's a superstition. The belief is that whoever catches the bouquet will be the next to be married. The same is true for the garter toss."

Noh looked over at Jubilee with a raised eyebrow as he thought it over. "Then… if you subscribe to this belief, you are to be married to Scott's little brother?" he reasoned.

Jubilee tried to keep a straight face. She really did. But the smile quickly grew until she was giggling and shaking her head. "No. No, that would never ever happen. Logan would kill me if I even _teased_ about marrying a Summers."

"Well, I was not sure," Noh said with a self-conscious smile. "I still do not understand how your weddings are arranged. Does Logan choose your match as your surrogate father?"

"If he did, I'd never be married," Jubilee replied. "We choose our own partners. We marry for love."

"But I heard Scott the night before the wedding speaking of asking permission," Noh said. "I have heard love songs speak about weddings here, but the focus is not on logistics like it is back home, rather on the emotion of the day. I know there are traditions, rings… but I don't understand how it all happens. He asked Mr. Hale's permission, and then… I'm unclear."

"That, nowadays, is more a matter of respect for the bride's family," Kurt tried to explain. "You don't need permission, but it's respectful to ask the bride's parents — usually the father. And usually before you'd ask your chosen bride."

"Ah, I see," Noh said thoughtfully, though it was clear he was still working it out in his head. "This seems to be far more complicated than what I'm used to. Back home, we were simply _told_ who we would marry, and then assigned to work together so that would could grow closer in the natural course of things."

"But this is much more fun, and certainly more romantic," Kurt said with a laugh. "Most of the time. There _are_ still places that do arranged marriages and honor weddings. But it's not very popular anymore." Kurt tipped his head to the side. "Am I being clear enough? Admittedly, I sometimes find myself a bit wrapped up in the _fun_ of it."

Noh nodded with a little reassuring smile. "Yes, it certainly is much more enjoyable than the ones I'm used to."

"Well, stick around, I'm sure there are more on the horizon," Bobby said with a little smirk as he gave Kate a _look._

"Only if Billy ever gets around to setting a date," Kate countered as she half-nuzzled into Kurt's side.

"You should set Kurt on him," Bobby suggested. "He's really good at getting people to just pick a date. You know. Decide on a commitment."

"They're both, like, two years younger than me. Let them be stupid for a bit," Kate said, waving her hand. "They have time."

"But if they know they're in love, and they want to be together, what's the hold up?" Bobby asked, arms crossed, though the others could tell from his tone and the way he was looking at Kate that it wasn't Billy and Teddy that he was _really_ talking about. "Not like there's a set age you have to follow outside of being legally able to sign the papers."

"I don't know. Billy's just so picky about details," Kate said with a shrug.

"Sounds like they need to just elope and be done with it," Bobby said before he turned back to his coffee.

"Now that I understand," Noh said with a little smirk. "I have known a few Kree who did that. They wanted to marry… outsiders, would be the term in English."

They all kind of nodded in understanding as Logan came in for his coffee. He had only just poured his mug when Bobby decided to try and invite him into the discussion. "So," Bobby said. "Maybe you could give us some of your expertise. We're answering some questions for Noh."

Logan turned and looked around the kitchen to see what the hell was going on and just wait to see if Bobby was being an ass or not.

"Oh, do you officiate weddings as well?" Noh asked, genuinely curious.

"What?" Logan asked, an expression of disbelief on his face. "Why would I do that?" He took a minute to take in the amused look on Kate's face and the slow head shake Kurt was doing.

"No, you got it wrong, Noh," Bobby said. "He's just been married like — a few times. Figured he'd know better than anyone." Logan turned to glare at Bobby before he looked to the people around him and just shook his head as he left the kitchen and headed outside.

"You're all a buncha damn idiots," he grumbled on his way out, even as Kurt called out to him and then fixed Bobby with a look.

"He's going to make you pay for that," Kurt warned. "Or I will."

Jubilee leaned in to Noh. "I'll fill you in later," she whispered.

"Yes, you will need to," Noh said, looking thoroughly confused.

"Also, Bobby set you up, so feel free to pay him back however you'd like," Jubilee said with a smile before she kissed his cheek.

A slow smile started at the corner of Noh's mouth. "You are aware, of course, that I have set up the audio for the security system throughout the house."

"Yes. And you know where to find my extensive CD collection," she told him. " _Mi casa, su casa._ "

He grinned brilliantly and kissed her forehead, then shook his head. "I just — I suppose I don't understand much of Earth's customs _still_ ," he said with a sigh, obviously disappointed, since he had put so much work into learning about Earth over the past several years.

"Don't worry about it," Jubilee replied. "There's a lot I don't understand too, and I'm _from_ here."

"Perhaps this is why so much of your music is dedicated to trying to understand this fascination with romance," he teased. "Though that may be what confuses me. So much of your music tells you to seize love — and that is not what I have seen in practice."

"Well, people are often stupid," she replied. "Or scared. One or the other, usually. Sometimes both."

"It's a pretty complicated dance," Kate tried to explain. "I mean… we get to choose who we marry, so we want to make sure you choose _right_." She shrugged. "When my sister got married the first time, she dated the guy since high school and he turned out to be an idiot. But hey, that's my sister. Dad got married _way_ too many times — to also idiots."

"And in spite of what Bobby was trying to do — which was pick on Logan — he's just had awful luck," Jubilee said, since they were talking about it anyhow. "All of his engagements and marriages but one have ended with the woman dying. And the one that should have died just ... it took forever for him to get her to grant him a divorce. Finally."

"And yet I think I prefer your customs despite the risks," Noh said with a little smile her way, trying to lighten the mood as the group as a whole seemed to have sobered a bit. "I don't know that it is simpler, but it is more _fun_. It is nice to be able to date without regard to genetics."

"Well," Jubilee said with a dramatic wave. "You add genetics into it, and you take out all the spontaneity. Boring."

"And you are anything but boring," he teased her and kissed the side of her temple.

"And don't you forget it."


	3. Sinister Honeymoon

**Notes from robbie: Yeah, we're keeping the title ambiguous, and you'll see as it develops just who it's referring to. (It may not be just one person…. shhh.) But no spoilers! We can't give it away; we'll just point you at the many, many characters that we have options to play with who have at one point or another been forced into being weapons. I mean, there's Logan (the Original Weapon X, come on) and there's Natasha (hello Red Room) and there's Noh-Varr (looking at you, Maria Hill) and then there's like 99% of the X-Men (hello Phoenix Force and a host of other issues) not to mention Clint (criminal record, honey) and Steve (yes that's right ol' Cap gets used too) and … well…. The list goes on and on. So rather than give you spoilers I'll just let you look at all the possibilities and promise you that we have plans for so so** _ **so**_ **many of these people. So, so many plans.**

* * *

 **Chapter 3: "Sinister Honeymoon"**

* * *

The teasing about wedding traditions had more or less died off by the time Logan came back inside, though the overall jocular mood evaporated when they saw the set to his jaw that gave away just how irritated he was.

"Suit up, we're headed out," he grumbled before he set his mug down and just made a beeline for the hangar.

The group shared a look before they all but scrambled to do just that — even the newer team members knew enough to put off asking any questions when Logan looked like _that_.

No one seemed willing to consider asking what was going on until they were in the plane and ready to head out. And then it was Jubilee, who had decided that she'd be least likely to either get yelled at — or, if she was, she'd blow it off quickest anyhow. "Where to, big guy?" she asked as she slipped into copilot next to him.

"Hawaii," he replied in a low grumble, which had Kurt's eyebrows raised as he and Kate exchanged looks. After all, they knew about the Marauder they'd spotted at the wedding, and since Annie and Scott were honeymooning in Hawaii...

"Is the head creepy guy there?" Kate asked quietly. "Because if he is, I need to run back real quick and get some more putties and explosives."

"Send a bamf," Logan told her. "I'm not waiting."

Kate didn't even argue, just turned to the nearest little guy, who nodded, wide-eyed, and teleported away. Three of the bamfs reappeared a moment later with the extra quiver carried between them — which Kate very carefully set aside, considering the contents.

She glanced at Kurt and saw the raised-eyebrow look he was giving her before she said, quietly, "Learning from last time." She still had her mind on the first time she'd run into Sinister, back when she first met Kurt. Then, the only thing that had seemed to do any good had been to blow him up or putty his hands together to keep him from… working.

Logan didn't turn from his seat in the cockpit at all, but he did seem to pick up on the tone of Kate's voice as he tipped his head the slightest bit. "Kurt, did you ever give her a full rundown of everything Essex can do — just in case?" he asked.

"We were … working up to it," Kurt admitted. "I was honestly hoping we wouldn't need to deal with him again for a little longer."

"Well, at least give her a rundown of what he's capable of," Logan said with a sigh. "Probably be good if Noh knew going in too."

Kurt sighed. This was exactly what he had been hoping to avoid — Sinister was always hard to deal with, and Kate hadn't reacted well the first time they'd run into him, either. But he turned to the former Young Avengers in the jet all the same and folded his hands in front of himself as he thought over just what, of all the many things involving Sinister, needed to be covered first. "We've been through his ability to turn off mutant abilities, as well as his telekenetic powers and mind control — that's where we've been working with Rachel," he said, just as much to Noh and Logan as to Kate.

"Which just means he'll know we're coming before we get there," Logan added.

Noh frowned at the obvious tactical disadvantage before he tipped his head, clearly working it out. "You mentioned that he can turn off mutant abilities… Do his prohibitive abilities work on non-mutants?"

"I have no idea," Logan admitted.

"Then we shall find out," Noh decided before he gestured to Logan and Kurt again. "I've interrupted; please continue."

Logan paused and tipped his head Noh's way for a moment before he explained, "He's not even a real mutant. Just a gifted geneticist that figured out how to forcibly mutate himself with other people's abilities. He's got a little bit of everyone in him."

Kurt nodded. "He can heal, shapeshift, teleport... " He sighed. "And he's a formidable fighter, with enhanced strength, speed, reflexes ... force fields, energy blasts… if you've seen it on our team, more than likely, he has it."

"Whatever happens, just keep going after him," Logan told them. "Take him out or chase him off."

"Surely with a team as formidable as this one, that will not be an issue," Noh said with a light smile.

"In all the years we've been fighting him, we've never managed it," Kurt admitted.

"And he's been doing this for decades," Logan added.

"Ah." Noh frowned at that. "Then... simply getting him to retreat would be a victory? Perhaps I can counter his mind control with an… alternative."

"Whatever you got — use it," Logan told him before he took a deep breath. "The Marauders, on the other hand—"

"They're tough, but they can be beaten," Kurt finished. "Enhanced strength and speed, toughened skin — and no fear or focus on anything but what Essex tells them to focus on."

"I can match that," Noh said with a shrug, obviously unconcerned by Sinister's minions as opposed to the man himself. "It's not far from my own abilities during a white run." He looked between the others. "If you like — I can draw them while you focus on this man, if he is here. It would not take much to reach that point for me, and if they are not the real threat..."

"Don't do that unless you have to," Logan told him. "I'm _not_ worried about Marauders."

"But you are all worried," Noh pointed out, gesturing with one hand at all of the assembled X-Men. "It's plain to see."

"Essex has an obsession with Scott," Logan said after a long pause. "He tortured him as a kid for years." He took in a breath as his glare only deepened thinking about it. "I won't let Essex get near him again — or his new wife — not if I can stop it."

"Ah." Noh let the subject drop and settled into a bit of a frown as he nodded his understanding.

When they finally landed in Hawaii, Alex was there to meet them, looking harried and with a clear, still-healing bruise on his jaw. "Thanks," he said as soon as they got off the plane. "There's ... a few more of them than we realized. I've got Lorna and Dad close by Scott, just to be safe, and so far they haven't gotten past us, but..."

"Is Sinister here?" Logan asked with a frown.

"I haven't seen him yet — but with this many Marauders around? I doubt he'll miss the party," Alex said frankly.

"Take me where you've seen them swarming," Logan said. "And I can tell you if he's here."

Alex just nodded wordlessly and gestured for them to follow him as they made their way to one of the mountains on the island, which overlooked a few resorts in the area.

They didn't even get all the way to where Alex was leading before Logan slowed to a stop and just nodded his head. "Everyone got a comm on them?"

The group shared a look before nodding.

"Split up," Logan directed. "We can't sneak up on him." He was talking more to Noh than the others as he added in explanation: "It's more just to draw the Marauders away from Essex." He looked over the group. "Bobby — go with Jubes and Noh. Alex — show Kate and Kurt where the big trouble is."

"And you?" Kurt asked.

"I'm gonna follow the scent trail," Logan replied. "See you when we meet up in the middle."

"You can't fight him on your own," Kurt said, sounding exasperated as he put together what Logan actually meant by the groupings.

"I know," Logan said with a nod. "I'm gonna distract him so you guys can come in. I'll even keep the comm on so you can hear whatever it is he's planning." He took a breath and leveled gazes with Kurt. "If it's as bad as what I expect, forget the Marauders — and get Scott and Annie _out_."

"It's a sound strategy. One that would be aided, I think, by expedience," Noh said pointedly. "Let's go." He took Jubilee be the hand with a confident smile. "If we are to be fighting the Marauders and not the man in charge on the way, there is no need to worry just yet," he told her sincerely.

"Yeah," she said uneasily. "But ... what happens after he gets his backside handed to him?"

"We will think of some appropriate taunts and then get pancakes," he said serenely.

"I think we have a minor miscommunication here," Jubilee said with her arms crossed.

"Oh?" He turned to her. "Would you like a burger for our victory celebration instead?"

"I meant — how do I get my Wolvie back after HE gets his butt handed to him?" She turned from Noh and gave Logan a hard look. "Don't think I didn't catch that, mister. You don't have a way out, do you?"

"He'll get tired of hittin' me," Logan said with a wave. "You know how this works, Jubes. I'll be fine."

"If need be, I will get him out myself," Noh promised Jubilee seriously when he saw that Logan's answer had done absolutely nothing to ease her mind. "I do not use it often, but you forget - I have enhanced speed. I can outdistance you."

"Well, that ... that makes me feel a little bit better," she said with a little sigh before she turned back to Logan. "Don't die on me."

He gave her a serious look and walked over to give her a quick kiss on the cheek. "Don't worry so much. Go beat on some Marauders."

With that, the teams split off from each other and into the densely forested mountain, ready to fight the big jerks that Sinister called Marauders.

Kate, Kurt, and Alex took the higher path, all three of them looking out for the Marauders as the bamfs each had their swords drawn and looked to be itching for a reason to use them — so of course, when the first muscled goon burst from the forest, they were on him in a heartbeat, about a dozen of them with sharp points and little fists taking him down on their own, no help needed from the bigger teammates.

Another several Marauders burst from the same trees, and the fight was on — Kurt with three swords drawn and both Alex and Kate blasting back at the Marauders, though with distinctly different kinds of explosive force.

For as many Marauders as there were, the three of them were holding their own. Kurt was holding three different fights, and none of them had managed to lay a hand on Kate, who was simply using explosive arrows and nothing else to knock them back and to the ground as quickly as they could come at her. And Alex was just ticked at that point, blasting through the Marauders with an increasingly annoyed expression on his face as they just seemed to keep coming back for more — so he turned up the heat.

It worked insofar as Alex completely destroyed three Marauders at once — but the energy just kept going, right into the side of the mountain, with such force that they didn't even need to hear the rumblings up above them to know what was coming.

In an instant, each of them had bamfs on their shoulders or attached to their legs, and they teleported out of there to higher, safer ground as Kurt shouted over the comms to the other team to warn them what was coming.

The other three members of the team had been busy themselves with plenty of Marauders — as Jubilee lit them up and Bobby was just warming up the jokes about ice in the tropics, and Noh was starting to look like he was having _fun_ as he shot, kicked, and punched his way through the group.

They had run into the Marauders a bit later than the other group had, so they were just getting started when the telltale sound of the avalanche above them started up.

"Move!" Bobby shouted at the top of his lungs as he started to build an ice path up, away from the danger and into the air.

But Noh didn't follow Bobby — and he didn't ask permission before he just scooped up Jubilee and ran at full speed through the trees, clearing the path around and out of the avalanche's way in a matter of seconds. They could hear the avalanche crashing down far out from their position as they had to pause for Bobby to catch up from the air.

"Are you alright?" Noh asked Jubilee as he gently set her back down. "High speed travel is not for everyone."

She just grinned at him and kissed his cheek. "You kidding? I love to go fast."

Logan, on the other hand, had missed out on both the avalanche and the Marauders, as his path was totally cleared, with nothing but Sinister's antiseptic scent lying on the spongy forest floor and ferns that all but covered the path.

He could hear what the others were saying through the earpiece, but he wasn't answering, hoping that Sinister hadn't caught the discussion earlier about listening on the comms. As it was, it wasn't his usual move — and pretty much all of their enemies knew that he had a nasty habit of not using his comms at all.

The stronger the scent on the trail got, the slower Logan approached until he pushed through the undergrowth into a small clearing and simply found himself facing Sinister, who was most definitely waiting for him.

"You brought me something _new,_ " Sinister said in his low, cold hiss as Logan found himself frozen in place, unable to move.

From a ways out, the other groups could hear the low hiss of Sinister's voice over the comms that Logan had left open.

"New?" Kurt whispered under his breath, and he glanced at Alex, who shrugged openly.

"Don't look at me," Alex said. "I'm past the age of secondary mutations."

"And I'm very much human," Kate put in. "So — Jubes or Bobby?" she asked with a frown.

"Bobby already had his," Kurt said before he started to swear in German. "Jubilee."

Kate went straight to pale before she just poured on her speed, all three of them practically sprinting through the trees as Kurt swore up a blue streak about Sinister blocking him and the bamfs from getting there any faster.

"If he even touches her sunglasses I'm going to blow the diamond right off his face and feed it to him," Kate spat out.

But Sinister's voice kept hissing in their ear through the comm — louder the closer he got to Logan, who still hadn't said a word. Sinister taunted him, telling him that Logan couldn't stop him from getting to Scott and reacquainting himself with the boy, or 'meeting' the new Mrs. Summers. There was a loud crack, and the voice went quiet again for a few moments before Sinister detailed exactly what he wanted to study with the new test subject, how incredibly interesting secondary mutations were, and how thoroughly disappointed he was when Logan himself never advanced — punctuated between more cracks and dull thuds that came through the comm. It wasn't until he chuckled and told Logan to stop trying to call for his friends that Kurt realized that the noises were Sinister just beating on Logan for going for the comm. He didn't realize it was already on and that Logan was essentially a walking hot mic.

And on the other side of the avalanche, Jubilee was looking more and more upset with every hit they could hear Logan taking as Noh just looked livid at what Sinister was talking about doing to study Jubilee.

"I cannot listen to this any longer," he said suddenly, turning to Jubilee. "You stay here with Bobby. I can outdistance you and get to Logan."

"Not without me you won't!" she protested.

He kissed the side of her temple with a little smile. "I'm afraid, Jubilee, that _you_ are the subject of interest to him. So ... I'll have to deny you on this request." With that, he turned, already closing his eyes to center himself in case he needed a white run.

"It's not a request!" Jubilee shouted at him. "I'm supposed to keep track of him!"

"You are. You're listening," he replied under his breath and then took off at a sprint that left dirt kicked up high in his wake from his starting point — already closing the distance before Jubilee could say anything further.

Without having to wait for the others, Noh burst into the space where Logan and Sinister were in a matter of moments to find that Sinister was _playing_ with Logan — beating him down while he was still unable to move and then turning his healing powers back on to watch Logan's body heal the most important injuries first, observing with a critical eye and making occasional commentary about how he must have done more damage to some areas than others.

Now positively livid, Noh just ran forward and put as much strength as he could into a hit right to the man's stomach as Logan was healing just a few feet away. When Sinister crumpled, Noh followed it up with a kick that sent the man back a few steps until he lifted his head and shot back with an energy blast from the diamond in the center of his forehead that Noh simply hadn't been prepared for and only just dodged because of his speed — and the fact that he could throw his entire body flat and backwards without breaking anything.

Noh was absolutely spitting mad — literally — and as Sinister just kept blasting at him, Noh seemed to be trying to work his way closer until, surprisingly, he simply let out an unearthly hissing sound and _spit_ at Sinister.

The man blinked at him in surprise the moment the sticky, hallucinogenic substance hit his face, before his gaze shifted, and he seemed temporarily unable to focus his eyes as Noh all but barked at him, "You will not touch anyone else. You will _leave this island_."

And — to Logan's surprise as he started to pick himself up — Sinister actually turned to leave, unable to counter what was a physical attack and not a psychic one like he was used to. Sinister was halfway toward the trees before he seemed to shake off whatever Noh had done to him, turning back to the Kree fighter with a look of pure loathing as he tried to blast him again.

Where before, Sinister had simply been reacting to Noh interrupting him, now, he seemed to be putting all his acquired powers into play — teleporting to Noh as soon as he'd shaken off the effects of the mind control saliva so that he could knock Noh back with a punch to the jaw that sent him reeling before he started up with the beams again. As soon as Noh had dropped flat to avoid the beams, he took just a second to breathe in — and then Logan could see the difference from where he was barely propped up off the forest floor as Noh entered a white run.

They seemed to be almost evenly matched for speed and strength, though Sinister had the upper hand as it was clear he was trying to break into Noh's mind — occasionally, Noh would shake his head, stop, and take a hard hit for the pause. But Sinister was struggling to find a solid hold on his mind while Noh was in a white run, and he seemed to be frustrated by the fact that Noh seemed completely undeterred by even the hardest hit, as if he couldn't feel the hits at all. Which, in this state, was true.

The two were nearly blow for blow, though Noh was slowing down as the fight drifted closer to Logan. And although Logan was still trying to stop bleeding and get back to his feet, he was close enough to send one set of claws through Sinister's feet to pin him there and another into the man's gut.

It was enough to at least temporarily draw Sinister's focus from Noh back to Logan, and a hit that had been meant for Noh was redirected as Sinister backhanded Logan away from him. It was exactly the opening that Noh needed. With that same unearthly hiss he'd started with, he drew back a hand and simply _stabbed_ Sinister, his fingernails now in points as he drew his hand across the man's chest, cutting deeply and leaving long trails as he did so.

Sinister shouted in both surprise and pain and then blasted Noh back with the force of a beam that sent him into a tree and sprawling before he was able to get back to his feet in an instant — the damage obvious in quickly forming bruises but completely irrelevant to Noh.

Logan ran in while Sinister still had his focus on Noh and threw a punch that echoed around them as he broke Sinister's jaw. His other hand very nearly nailed Sinister with an uppercut that would have landed a nasty body blow, but Sinister had simply hit him before he could make it connect. Logan was staggered, but he wasn't ready to give up if he could stay upright.

But by then, at least some other reinforcements had arrived — announced by two arrows right to Sinister's chest that ticked twice before they exploded and followed up very shortly thereafter by an energy beam that flattened Sinister as soon as he tried to get back to his feet. Kurt and the bamfs burst out of the trees, all of them with swords drawn, and now Sinister had a new fight on his hands. The man was able to stop an attacker or two at once, but with so many of them, no one stayed entirely frozen for too long.

Another couple of twangs echoed through the clearing, and Sinister turned to erect a force field that stopped not only Kate's arrows but the blasts from Alex before returning with a blast of his own that knocked Kate off her feet and blasted Alex back several yards before he had to turn his attention back to fighting Kurt and Noh, throwing out one hand to simply lift Noh off his feet to stop him running toward him and telekenetically throw the Kree fighter into Kurt, who only just teleported away in time to keep from running Noh through — though the impact when Noh hit the ground was enough to knock him entirely unconscious. When Kurt reappeared, Sinister just started to shoot more blasts his way from his hands as he fired at Kurt and then Alex and Kate at intervals.

As Sinister focused on the rest of the team, Logan darted in closer again and jammed his claws into Sinister's side and twisted — though he couldn't cut him nearly as deeply as he liked, since the force field stopped his hand but not the adamantium claws. It simply enraged the monster, and for an instant, he dropped the force field to get a better hold on Logan, though naturally, Logan wasn't giving up just yet either.

Kate had just been waiting for the opening in the shield, and this time, she fired off several putty arrows, which quickly stuck Sinister in place for Logan to hit him where he stood — though Sinister was able to break through quickly enough, just not fast enough to avoid Logan's hard hits in the meantime. As soon as Sinister drew back to hit Logan again, Kurt rushed in with his swords to distract his attention, and the two of them were able to deal Sinister some solid blows and damage before he blasted Logan back and moved to do the same to Kurt, who teleported quickly away again.

Not long after, Bobby and Jubilee finally caught up, and she was positively spitting mad herself. she took one look at Sinister — and the state of things in general — and just nearly growled to herself as she let loose the plasmoids that she'd been slowly growing on the way. They were more concentrated than the ones she'd used before, and when they made contact with Sinister, sections of his body were simply evaporated as the sparks flew.

The added damage from Jubilee while Bobby tried to get Logan on his feet again was more than Sinister was prepared for. The attack continued, and he did his level best to take them down before he suddenly seemed to just take in a deep breath. Then, he rolled his eyes into the back of his head, and the diamond at the center of his forehead began to glow brightly.

But before the little team could deliver the final blow, Sinister seemed to just ... crumple all at once. For a moment, the diamond on his head glowed once his body was in a heap — but that faded quickly, and then his chest stopped the rhythmic rise and fall.

"Um ... I don't think we covered that in the training?" Kate said uneasily.

"He's not dead," Kurt said with a distinct sound of hatred. "He's just moved on to the next body."

"Great." Kate swallowed a bit and shook her head. "That's ... way creepier than anything else I've seen."

"Yes, what's even creepier is finding where he has them stashed," Kurt replied as he sheathed his swords and fixed her with a frown. "Dozens of fully-grown, blank versions of himself that simply lack the consciousness and soul — if you can call it that anymore."

Kate shuddered. "Yeah… Madame Masque had… bodies. She called them decoys." She shivered again and then turned to grab him by the hand. "Get us outta here, please. This place is giving me the creeps now."

"Of course," Kurt agreed, pulling her tight around the waist as he sent the bamfs off to move their friends. An instant later, they were all back at the blackbird, though Logan and Noh both had to be more or less loaded up into the far back section by several concerned bamfs and Bobby and Jubilee.

"You will call again if there is any further trouble, _ja?_ " Kurt asked Alex, who of course nodded.

"Sorry about your Kree friend," he said with a shake of his head. "Is he gonna be okay?"

"He will be," Kate assured him. "He's had worse — and healed just fine." She looked over at where Noh looked pretty well beat down and was still knocked out from the hard hit Sinister had delivered to him. "He's just an idiot," she added.

"Not sure everyone's nerves can handle another one," Alex said, the crooked smile growing wider the more he thought about it. "Between Logan and Scott, I thought you guys were all full."

"Had to outsource to space to find another one," Kate said with a soft smirk.

"Equal opportunity stupid, huh?" Alex replied. "Good to know."

"How else can we find more teammates?" Bobby said with a shrug. "It's practically a resume — the stupidity — at this point."

"It really kind of is," Alex agreed with a little laugh before he just waved off the gathered group and headed back to go find Lorna and his dad to keep up their quiet protection for Scott.

But not everyone was in as good a mood as Alex had been, and Jubilee was positively grumpy as she dropped down into a seat next to Noh and started to — very gently — assess her boyfriend.

"Why is it always my idiots?" Jubilee grumbled as she shook her head. "Every single time."

"There's something to be said for your tastes," Kate said quietly as Kurt slipped into the cockpit to fly them back.

A few of the bamfs had taken up sitting next to Logan and stopping just milimeters short of actually poking him but still curiously waiting for him to pop back up again as they were used to him doing. Jubilee was content to ignore this behavior until one of them teleported away and reappeared holding a small mirror — and clearly used it to check if Logan was breathing before Jubilee paffed it away with a curse. Though there was one bamf — Noh's friend — who sat beside Noh and very carefully tried to get the sweaty hair back into place.

The bamf was still trying to get Noh's hair to lie flat when he started to stir awake with a mumbled, "What in Plex's name are you doing?"

The little bamf just giggled before it darted forward and kissed his forehead and then poofed away in a puff of smoke.

Noh shook his head and then winced at the action — and when he tried to sit up better, it was clear he was having issues, even without seeing the bruises he was sporting. So, he simply laid back down and decided to just let healing take its course — which Jubilee was not having.

"Are you _trying_ to get yourself killed?" Jubilee asked with her arms crossed over her chest.

"Certainly not," he said quietly, turning to face her better when he realized she was angry with him — though it was clear he had no idea _why_.

"Are you sure? Because looking at you, I can only assume that's what Logan would look like if he didn't heal so stinkin' fast."

Noh looked down at himself for a moment and then smirked. "No, he was far worse than this. I had to step in, Jubilee — that man… I didn't like the sound of his voice."

"Nobody does," Jubilee agreed before she reached over to grab the first aid kit to start cleaning him up. "But Logan can freakin' bounce back. You have bruises, Noh. Injuries. Ouch."

"It was easier to keep him out of my mind by clearing it of everything — pain included," he tried to explain.

"And common sense. You goon."

"Jubilee," he said in a pleading tone. "You heard what he said about you. About what he planned to do."

"Yeah, and he was probably just saying that to get under Wolvie's skin," Jubilee replied without missing a beat. "He's never had any interest in me before. And I've been caught before. Puh-lenty of times."

"I am not so willing to risk your life as you are," he replied softly as he just watched her with a small smile — and then winced as she cleaned up a particularly garish gash on his arm.

"I'm used to it," Jubilee said half under her breath as she worked. "Do you know how long I've been an X-Man?" she asked before answering her own question. "Almost as long as you've been _alive._ It's part of the gig."

"You said yourself that he could turn off mutant abilities," Noh said, still trying to give his explanation and clearly not understanding why Jubilee couldn't follow his logic. "He could not counter mine except to fight me head-on."

"Yeah, and he couldn't counter me when I was a vampire either — but that doesn't mean it didn't hurt like hell when he hit you."

"It _didn't_ hurt," Noh argued.

She looked at him and simply rolled her eyes before she pressed her thumb down in the middle of a massive bruise. When he yelped, she just crossed her arms. "Nope. Looks like it tickles."

"It hurts _now_." He shook his head at her. "Not at the time. And this ... soreness? It will pass. You — you don't bounce back. You're not a Kree, and you're not from my universe—"

"I don't stay behind either," she said with narrowed eyes and a little heat to her tone.

"No. But I — please, Jubilee, I can get to the fight faster, fight harder, let me do what I was _bred_ to do. You are welcome to join the fight with me, alongside me, but let me _fight_ it," he said pleadingly.

She was just about to lay into him about thinking ahead when Logan finally came around. "Lay off, Jubes. He did good." Outside of having spoken, Logan hadn't moved a muscle.

"You're just defending him because he's as stupid as you are about this kind of thing," Jubilee snapped back.

"Jubes, he did you a favor," Logan said evenly. "And he kept you from Essex -— who was _not_ lying. He wants to get a hold of you, and you do not. DO NOT. Want him to take an interest in you, alright? Whatever the reason."

The revelation seemed to take some, but not all, of the fire out of Jubilee's gaze. " _Fine._ But I don't like this beat yourself to death garbage," she said Noh's way before she let out a sigh and tipped his head to one side so she could clean up a cut. "I never wanted to date anyone like _him._ So don't be that guy."

"I'm sorry to have upset you," he said earnestly, reaching up one hand to cup her cheek gently so he could fix her with his most honest, pleading look and prove he meant it.

She covered his hand with hers for a moment before she went back to work cleaning him up. "I'd snuggle you, but I'd probably bruise you worse." She didn't try to stop the little smile at the corner of her mouth. "And I don't want to start a trend of making you cry in bed."

"You're horrible," Kate said over Jubilee's shoulder with a snort.

"Like you could let an opportunity like that sail by and just wave at it. Please."

Kate just grinned and shrugged lightly. "I didn't say _I_ wasn't horrible. Just that you were," she teased before she just pointedly tipped her head Kurt's way. "I _am_ dating a half-demon after all. Gotta keep up."

"Right. Well. I'm not going to make excuses for being so … me."

Kate just laughed at her. "Well, good. You be you. I'm just saying — you're horrible." She stuck her tongue out at Jubilee to illustrate her point before she laughed again.

"Birds of a feather, Kate," Jubilee sang back to her. "Which brings us to — what movie did you want to watch later for the sleepover?"

"This is a good question," Kate said as she leaned back with her hands behind her head. "I'm thinking we might just need dinosaurs. Maybe something classic like _Jurassic Park_. All that jungle travel has me thinking raptors," she teased.

"Oh, you poor thing. You're supposed to say things like that when Logan _can't_ hear you," Jubilee said with a sad look on her face. "You think you like dinosaurs?"

"I like dinosaur _movies,_ " Kate said with a look that clearly read she was starting to realize her mistake.

"But it's so fake," she replied with a smirk.

"Jubes, I also like scifi movies, and we _know_ aliens. So…"

"Well, that's great. But — hey, Logan," Jubilee called out and just waited for him to turn his head her way before she continued, "I think I found your final volunteer for that field trip." She grinned up at Kate. "Savage Land in November!"

"Way to throw me under the bus there, Jubes. Really appreciate it," Kate smirked.

"Kurt's going too," Logan told her, still just motionless on the floor of the plane.

Kate brightened immediately and looked up at Kurt. "Oh, well, _that's_ different."

"I don't mind the dinosaurs that much," Kurt said with a shrug. "I can get away from them when I need to."

"Well, you've had practice with your best friend, the stabby dinosaur," Kate teased.

"Jubes won't go back," Logan laughed as Jubilee turned a bit pink around the ears.

"O-ho. Scared of dinosaurs, Jubes?" Kate asked, grinning wide as she turned her whole body to face her friend at the prospect of having something to tease her about.

"No, I am _not_ scared of dinosaurs," Jubilee countered. "In fact — I'm really good with dinosaurs. It's the locals I'm trying to avoid."

"She tamed one of their pterodactyls," Logan explained with a grin. "First outsider to do it. She was like — 14. They tried to make her marry into the tribe for it."

Kate burst into a laugh. "Jubilee: dinosaur tamer. That's amazing."

"She was spitting mad when we told her what was going on," Kurt said, chuckling at the memory.

"Well, yeah. She had places to be! No time to get married in the Savage Land," Kate said, still laughing quietly. " _Way_ too busy and awesome and young. Oh my gosh. Seriously, Jubes. Does Noh know that you're engaged?"

Noh picked his head up and looked between the group of friends, his expression completely unbothered. "I have been reliably informed that marriages only happen in this area for love and are not forced upon anyone. Therefore, she is not engaged."

"She's really not," Logan said, chuckling a little more. "Seeing as they thought she was a boy at the time to boot. You know. Unless they have more liberal views. Could set that nice girl up still."

"I am not, nor have I _ever been engaged_ ," Jubilee said Logan's way as he started to chuckle even more at her expression. "That was a … a … cultural misunderstanding." She crossed her arms over her chest and halfway started to pout. "Not my fault I'm more awesome than they were expecting. And it's not like they _asked_."

"You hear that, Noh?" Bobby broke in with a smirk. "She made sure to point out she's _never ever_ been engaged. Not just this time — had to cover _all_ her bases."

"You are evil," Jubilee replied, her cheeks rosy.

"Just trying to help," Bobby returning, smirking wider. "I mean, Noh doesn't understand some of these Earth customs."

"This? This means war, Bobb-O. I hope you understand what you've just done, because you? You are going down, frat boy."

"Bring it on, mall rat."

"I'm gonna make you eat those words, popsicle."

"You can only try, sunshine. You can only try."

Jubilee just stuck one finger at him and narrowed her eyes. "Down."

"Kids, knock it off," Logan grumbled. "Bobby — you know better. Unless you're after a repeat of last time."

"Hey." Bobby held up both hands. "No thanks."

"Too late, Wolvie — he's insulted my honor. He's going down," Jubilee insisted. "No property damage this time, though," she added in a worryingly bright tone.

"I don't understand," Noh broke in, very obviously confused. "In what way is your never having been engaged insulting your honor?"

"You hush," Jubilee said in a huff before she took a deep breath. "He's trying to insinuate ... he's a jerk, okay? And he needs his butt kicked."

"They're just like this," Logan said. "No honor's been insulted or sullied. Morons. Looking for a reason to fight, that's all."

"If you say so," Noh said quietly. "But I still don't think I understand much of this conversation."

"Don't feel bad, no one does. They're just stupid."

But the confusion didn't seem to disappear for most of the trip, though at least the war talk fell back to just glared and sticking out their tongues at each other or making faces while Noh tried very hard to work out why Jubilee was _this_ upset with Bobby. Finally, hours later, when they arrived at the mansion, Logan helped Noh up and out to the medical wing — having long been healed himself already.

It didn't do a thing for the newly rekindled prank war, but it did leave Jubilee alone long enough for Kate to get a hold of her.

"Hey, Jubes — listen," Kate said, pulling on her arm to turn her down a hall so they could talk in private. "You've got to know — Noh's not usually all… Wolverine-y."

"What are you talking about?" Jubilee asked with a little frown, perhaps a bit too distracted by Bobby leaving finally to really have caught on yet to any conversation that didn't involve pranks.

"That whole business with him and Sinister," Kate said pointedly. "He doesn't _do_ that. I mean, I'm _way_ less powerful than you, and he never once left me behind on a mission like that for 'my own protection' or whatever while we were dating. That's not how he rolls."

"What are you trying to say then?" Jubilee asked with her brow furrowed. "Because I don't think I follow."

Kate had the slightest smirk on her face for just a second before she got it back under control. "Well, I mean — it sorta says something about how he feels about you, seeing as he doesn't do that for anyone else. But… well, no one ever threatened medical experimentation on me. And he kind of has a _thing_ about that."

"It's probably just that then," Jubilee said with a wave. "But Logan has big issues with people threatening experimentation too, so the parallels still exist. Sadly."

"Not his fault," Kate tried to explain. "I mean — he spent his first _year_ on Earth being experimented on? So… yeah."

"Yeah, I didn't say it was his fault. That's — that just sucks," she said with a little frown.

"I just wanted to make sure you knew. I mean, he's really happy with you, and you seem to like him, and I don't want his stupidity over this one thing to screw that up for you both. Because — you're both important to me, and I _know_ how stupid you X-Men can be about communicating," Kate explained in a rush.

Jubilee watched her friend for a moment, taking in her wide eyes before she relaxed her shoulders and just shook her head. "I — okay. So. Wolvie like — half raised me. One stupid thing … no," she said with a little laugh at the end. "I am not scared off by stupid. I just have to yell at it so I don't lose my temper."

"Good." Kate threaded her arm through Jubilee's. "Because you two are _unbearably cute_ together, and I'd like to keep it that way," she teased.

"You're funny," Jubilee said, scrunching her nose up. "Like you have any say in it."

"Oh, Jubes." Kate tutted and shook her head at her friend. "You poor naive little thing. Thinking I can't do whatever I want." She was grinning outright as she pulled Jubilee along down the halls.

"Pretty sure you don't have a say in THIS," Jubilee replied, not matching Kate's grin in the slightest. "And nothing I can say or do about it either. Just ... gonna have fun while it lasts." She was kind of kicking the ground as she said it.

"And you two are nothing but fun," Kate agreed with a smile before she paused and tipped her head to the side as she thought about it. "He's trying, Jubes. Really, really hard."

She smiled a bit at that. "Well. that's a first for anyone I've dated," she tried to joke.

"It's a big deal for him too. He didn't do that before either," Kate said with a soft smirk. "He's usually more ... go with the flow. Guess he's starting to mellow with age — mature a little bit." The smirk grew. "Less of a teenager," she teased. "Not that I can talk, seeing as he's older."

"Oh yeah, _so_ much older," Jubilee said as she rolled her eyes.

Kate just grinned and kept pulling her along. "Come on. I need fake dinosaurs in my life right now. And candy and popcorn."


	4. Panicking Princess In Paris

**Notes: We love you too, Scruffy :D We'll try to keep the balance between fluff/action/drama as we go, but there are no guarantees that we'll be able to avoid too much fluff from time to time. There are so many shipped monsters to deal with here … Kart leading the charge, of course. As you'll see here…. *presentation hands***

* * *

 **Chapter 4: "Panicking Princess in Paris"**

* * *

The morning after the team's return from Hawaii, there was a distinct absence at coffee, and it took Kate a little while to figure out what it was. But when she did...

"Where'd Logan run off to?" she asked Kurt over the top of her second cup of coffee.

"North," Kurt replied. He sounded tired as he set down his own coffee in front of himself and shook his head. "He lasted a lot longer than I could have given him credit for. Usually he does this at least three times a year."

Kate did the math in her head quickly. "Yeah. Over a year with no running out — he must like me," she teased.

"I think it's a combination of a lot of people he likes," Kurt replied diplomatically, though he couldn't help but kiss her for the sentiment. "Besides, it's been busy. Busy enough to keep him around."

"So what chased him off? He doesn't like weddings?" Kate asked curiously.

"I think it was the encounter with Sinister," Kurt admitted. He let out a long, weary sigh. "He has a special dislike for that man, and it seems to take it out of him when they meet up. I think the only reason he didn't go last time we encountered him was because he had other things to do."

"Well, he _did_ take us to that cabin," Kate pointed out as she leaned on his arm.

"Yes, and he did run the woods for a little while," Kurt agreed as he tipped his head to the side to steal a quick kiss.

"So how long do you think he'll be gone?" Kate asked with the beginnings of a mischievous smirk when the kiss broke. "I'm just asking how much time I have to work with to mess with him later." A couple of the bamfs were seated on the kitchen table, kicking their legs over the edge, but at the prospect of messing with Logan, their heads came up, and they started to giggle delightedly, nodding their agreement and excitement.

"No telling," Kurt replied, with half an eye on the little imps nearby. "Sometimes it's just a few days — but he's disappeared for months at a time too." At that, the bamfs visibly pouted, and one of them stuck his tongue out at Kurt for raining on their parade.

"Well, that's no fun if he's gone _that_ long," Kate said with a frown. "I was hoping he'd help me out with some sword training next week."

"I can teach you sword work," Kurt offered, the smile returning to his face in full force at the prospect. "Not katanas, but swords nonetheless."

She kissed his cheek and grinned. "I know you can," she told him. "And I'd love it. But you are a very distracting teacher."

"I'll wear my inducer and speak with a bad Amer'can ac-cent," he said with a horrible drawl, demonstrating his point by doing so just to make her smile.

She giggled and just couldn't help but kiss him for his theatrics. "And you'd win every match from me laughing too hard," she teased. "But ... I do want to learn the dual wield. If you've got time. It looks fun."

"For you? I've got all the time in the world," Kurt replied with a grin. "And we might even work with swords."

She laughed outright and snaked one arm around his waist. "It's a date then," she said and then grinned impishly. "Teach me, Professor Wagner."

"Oh, don't do that," he replied with a little growl, shaking his head sternly. "None of that."

"Oh, but you look so cute with the tweed jacket and the elbow patches," she said, only grinning wider. "All scholarly."

"I look cute most of the time," Kurt replied with a cocky little grin. "But I don't need the 'professor' nonsense."

"Would you prefer 'Professor Elf'? Because that's what it says on your door," she teased.

"You did not," he laughed.

"I didn't have to. Jubes beat me to it," she said.

"And they call me an imp," Kurt chuckled. "But I'll keep it. I like it."

"Oh good. Because I like it too, and I'd change it back if you got rid of it," she promised him with a wide, troublemaking grin.

He kissed her and shook his head, unable to stop the little smile at Jubilee and Kate's combined antics. When she met his kiss, he pulled her a little tighter for something more involved, and it was a good long time before they finally broke apart and he asked, in a low whisper in her ear, "Do you have any big plans this weekend?" with his face still close to hers, his nose practically in her hair.

"Short of some kind of apocalyptic X-Men nonsense?" she teased as she played her fingers through his curls. "Not really, no."

He pulled away abruptly, covered her mouth with one hand, and shook his head very seriously. "We do _not_ tease about such things. Not with that word combination."

She nodded quietly and matched his serious look, but as soon as he lowered his hand, she said, "Then... short of X-Men nonsense in general. Better?"

"Much." He smirked at her and then allowed it to stretch into a smile. "I'd like to take you someplace then."

"A romantic weekend getaway?" She grinned. "How could I say no?"

"It's entirely possible that you might turn me down."

She just laughed and kissed him quickly. "I thought I told you you're impossible to say no to, you little imp," she teased.

"I never take a lady's opinion for granted," he replied before he kissed the back of her hand, his gaze never leaving her face.

She just grinned wider and inclined her head in the slightest bow. "Well, good sir, I accept your romantic weekend getaway invitation," she said, grinning wider with every word.

" _Wunderbar_ ," he replied quickly, turning her hand to place a kiss on her palm. "Let's finish our coffee and play with some swords."

She just winked at him. "Whatever you say, Professor Elf."

He let his shoulders drop dramatically as he let out a sigh and let her hand drop. "You see, now I feel as though you are a student."

She gave him the full force of a teasing grin. "What?" she said in mock disbelief, one hand on her heart. "Shame on you dating a _student_."

"I know, I shall have to cancel all my plans now and assign you to detention instead."

She just laughed harder at that. "Would it help you if I pointed out my office door says 'Professor Hawkeye' now?"

"Fraternization," he said thoughtfully, nodding once before he leaned in close. "Yes, I believe that is just the loophole I was in need of."

"I'm getting pretty good with technicalities," she teased. "Going cross-eyed with all that business work. Had to be good for _something_." She leaned over to kiss his cheek. "Like snagging a cute professor."

"Yes, lucky me," Kurt replied before he wrapped her up in a kiss, and in an instant of smoke and brimstone — they left the kitchen behind.

* * *

It was Saturday afternoon when Kate was just coming out of her office for a quick break — just to stretch her legs. She'd been trading emails all morning with Kamala over some new ideas for a book, and she was pretty excited about it — but sitting for that long? It was going to drive her crazy.

Plus, she had plans with a cute Elf.

She didn't know where they were going that afternoon, just that it was Kurt and he was being coy, so it was probably very sweet and romantic. Naturally, she had just the outfit to wear for such an occasion too. Brand new black skirt with a ruffle-sleeves purple top and scarf — and she'd grab a jacket if they were going somewhere cooler if she needed it. The black one on the back of her office chair.

She had just changed and reapplied her makeup when Kurt teleported into the room, looking dapper as usual, though this time a bit more so in a nice suit. "Oh good — I was worried I overdressed," she teased as she finished curling the sides of her hair and pinned up the rest of it.

He took a few steps forward with a little smirk and presented her with a single, long-stemmed rose. "To start the evening off properly," he said with a smile.

She plucked the rose from his hand and then threw her arms around his neck to kiss him. "You — are such a charmer," she teased as she kept her arms around his shoulders even after the kiss broke.

"I hope you mean that in a good way," he replied before he gave her another quick kiss.

"Always," she promised. "So, Mr. Charmer — where are we going?"

"Far from here," he said with a sigh. "I hope you're in the mood for a bit of French food. I have a rooftop reservation in the city."

She beamed at him. "Sounds delightful," she said and kissed him again. "Lead the way."

He grinned and pulled her in tight before they teleported off, only to reappear where it was quite a bit darker, with a decent breeze — and it took her a few moments to realize where they were.

She gasped in surprise as she looked out over Paris, then looked up at him. "This ... you…" She just wrapped her arms around him and kissed him again, unable to think of anything else to do or say in the face of her way-too-adorable and romantic boyfriend. "You're too sweet sometimes."

"I thought we could take in the lights," he replied with a grin. "And this restaurant is one of the best in the city."

"It is," she said with a contented sigh. "And it's not even my birthday. You spoil me."

"You deserve some spoiling," he told her sincerely. "You've put up with me for about a year now."

She turned to face him in surprise. "Oh!" A slow grin started at the corner of her mouth as she stepped in that much closer. "Well, 'put up with' is not that phrase I'd use. 'Been totally enamored with' is more like it — but whatever floats your boat."

He gave her another kiss. "I'll take it however you want to describe it, but a bit of spoiling is in order either way."

She stepped back slightly, took his hand, and just _beamed_ at him. "Well don't let me stop you. Gotta mark one year of falling for an X-Man."

"And you call me the charmer," he laughed before they took their seats. They joked and teased through the bulk of the meal, drinking wine and enjoying the sights — though Kurt's focus was not the lights of the city by any stretch of the imagination.

When dessert came — before she'd gotten into it, he slipped a little gift across the table to her with his head resting on the palm of his hand.

She was grinning wide right up until she realized that it was a jewelry box, and then the panic set in. Fast. _Oh crap._

She was moving more on automatic reflex than anything as she cautiously opened it, running through a thousand different scenarios — all of them less likely than the one before it. By the time she got it open, she had a plan on how to get to Clint's fast and let Natasha hide her out — before she saw that it was a necklace. A beautiful, gorgeous necklace with an arrow pendant made of sterling silver.

All her breath left her at once, and she couldn't stop smiling in pure relief. _Not a ring. Not a ring. Thank goodness._

"Oh. Oh — it's gorgeous," she said in a slightly breathless voice.

"I was hoping you'd like it," he said in a subdued tone, though he was still smiling softly before he reached over and poured her another glass of wine.

"I do. I mean — I like it. I mean…" She gratefully took the chance to shut up by taking a long sip of wine. "You're… thanks. That was very… you're a charmer."

"Are you sure you're alright?" he asked.

"Mmhmm," she said as she reached for the wine again. "It's a very nice necklace."

"I'd hate to think I upset you," Kurt said sincerely.

"No! No — you didn't. You'd never — no. No, I'm fine. Really. Just totally misread that. Completely." She smiled at him. "Really. You're a darling."

He gave her another little smile. "You're cute when you're frazzled."

She smirked the slightest bit. "I'm always cute," she corrected him.

"Very true. But this — was cuter." His tone was light, but some of the sparkle had left his gaze as he at last turned his gaze away from her and out toward the sights of the city, which gave her a chance to try to compose herself a little better. "Whenever you're ready, I'll take you back, but if you're still interested, we can take a walk down by the river."

She had recovered a bit of her usual smile. "That sounds nice — the walk, I mean. With you. At the river." She reached over for his hand and grasped it with both of hers with as much sincerity as she could muster. "I'm still interested."

"That's good," he replied, smiling a bit more. "We'll take in the lights then. It's been a while since I've seen Paris at night."

She squeezed his hand with hers. "Well, let's fix that, shall we?"

* * *

Once the couple had returned to the mansion, Kurt had left Kate to change and do ... whatever it was she had to do. He had clearly shaken her in Paris, and he didn't want to make anything worse.

He'd taken a moment to try to give Logan a call — just to see how things were going in the woods with the whiskey, and half wishing he'd gone along with him as he looked out over the grounds from the roof of the mansion.

 _I should have realized… I've scared her off._

He was surprised, then, when his phone rang with a number that definitely wasn't Logan's — and that he didn't recognize. He'd hardly said hello before a young lady on the other line burst into her explanation:

"Yeah, hello, hi this is Cassie Lang, and you're Nightcrawler, and look, if you're gonna date my best friend, you have to talk to me, because there are _things_ you need to know, alright?" the young woman said in a rush of breath.

"Hello, Cassie. Nice to — well, to speak with you," Kurt said in a slightly tired tone. He'd heard Kate speak about her friend Cassie, but he had never met her in person, and he wasn't sure why the former Young Avenger had chosen _now_ to call him, though he could guess.

"Do you know where the malt shoppe is across from where Kate used to live in Jersey?" Cassie asked.

"Yes, she took me there," he said with a little frown. "Why?"

"I'm here right now. Why don't you come on over? So we can do the in-person meetup, because _clearly_ you two are idiots, and it's time for you to _know things_."

"Look for a tall blonde with a German accent then," he replied, a bit weary. "If you insist on this."

"I'm the short blonde with the baseball cap and sunglasses," she said. "Don't be late."

"I can be there right now," Kurt laughed. "I'm sure I'll be there first — unless you're already there."

"In a chair and waiting for you, Mr. Best Friend's Boyfriend."

Before she could hang up the phone, he walked through the door of the shop and picked her out of the crowd. "I would hate to make you wait on my behalf," he told her as he pocketed his phone.

She grinned up at him and stuck out her hand. "Cassie Lang," she said. "I don't usually do superhero meetups, but this is a special case."

"I don't see any superheroes," Kurt replied with a little smirk he couldn't quite contain.

"Clever," she laughed, then settled back into her chair. "So ... Kate called me after Paris. Which was, like, not that long ago, I guess."

"Yes, well. I'm sure she had to speak with someone," he said quietly as he sat down across from her. Cassie was much younger than Kate was — still in her teens, or possibly twenty at the oldest, he thought. She still had that glow of _possibilities_ about her, and when she leaned forward to talk to him, there wasn't the slightest hint of deception about her.

"She thought it was an engagement ring because of the box size," Cassie told him frankly, earnestly. "Total misunderstanding. You're _fine_."

"I appreciate you looking out for your friend," Kurt replied softly, his tail waving almost absently as he let his shoulders slump. "But I think you might just be wrong on this one."

Cassie just shrugged. "Not on this one. I've been wrong before, but not on this one," she insisted. She looked up to meet his gaze sincerely. "She's pretty far gone over you. Trust me. I've seen every single other relationship she's ever been in. So I'd know."

"Cassie, I've been through this enough times to know what it looks like," Kurt replied. He shook his head to himself as he stood from the table, thinking off all the other times he'd let his heart run away with him, and he started to back away. "Sorry to keep you out so late," he said quietly.

"Hey, no, wait, you're not—" Cassie shook her head. "Oh my gosh — it's like — you two just… _ugh_. Stop that. Sit down, please. Order something. We might be here a while."

He fixed her with a look that wasn't nearly as effective while wearing the inducer before he sat down again and politely folded his hands in his lap and waited.

"First of all, you didn't screw up," Cassie said patiently. There wasn't any trace of anger or disappointment or frustration — just an honest earnestness to her gaze as she tried to play mediator. "And I know, because Kate's exact words to _me_ were 'I screwed up,' so clearly, you are both ridiculous and scaring _yourselves_."

When he didn't say anything except to frown, she shook her head at him, took a deep breath, and tried a new tactic. "Okay, look — you know about Kate's mom, right?"

"Kate said she passed away when she was young," Kurt replied as if that was explanation enough.

"Yeah. In an 'accident' during a skiing trip right when she was getting a divorce," Cassie said, raising an eyebrow at Kurt. "And about a month before the much younger future ex-Mrs. Bishop came in."

"She left that part out," Kurt said with a little disapproving frown.

"She would." Cassie kept her gaze on Kurt. "There were, like, five Mrs. Bishops. I think the most recent one was a year younger than Kate. So it's not like she has a real healthy view of marriage."

"I wasn't asking her to marry me," Kurt pointed out.

"She knows. Which is why you're _fine_ ," Cassie countered. "I'm just telling you _why_ she freaked out."

Kurt frowned for a long moment at the girl sitting across from him, weighing out her earnest words. "So…. you asked me to come out so you could tell me there is no long-term future for us," Kurt said carefully. "Thank you. For the warning."

"Woah, hey, no. No, drama queen. Rein it in." Cassie held up her hands in a clear attempt to keep him from standing to leave again. "No, no, that's not — no. Wow. You took that and ran with it, didn't you?"

"I guess I don't understand what you're getting at, then," Kurt said. "I scared her. I understand that. It was not my intention, though I am entirely used to scaring people off. It's fine."

"Nightcrawler… can I call you Kurt? I'm going to call you Kurt."

"Please do," he agreed.

"Kurt, you are totally and _completely_ missing the point," she said. "Kate would _so_ not be scared of a future she was going to say no to anyway." She held Kurt's gaze with a raised eyebrow. "She has no problem just flat-out saying no to something she doesn't want."

He rubbed his nose with the back of his hand. "You're talking in circles."

"Sorry," Cassie said sincerely. "I don't mean to be? I just—" She took a deep breath. "Kate's totally terrified that you'll _leave_. Not that you'll stay."

"That's ridiculous," he scoffed. "Why would…?" He shook his head in disbelief. "That's _not_ how it works."

"I didn't say it made _sense_. Wow — a year in and you're trying to apply logic to Kate. Poor Nightcrawler." Cassie shook her head at him and tried for a grin. "But that's happened every. Single. Time. Relationships, partnerships, teams — Kate gets left behind, or cut out, or ignored."

"She's got it backwards," Kurt said, his tone disbelieving as his tail started to get involved with how deeply he was shaking his head at the very _idea_ of leaving her. " _I'm_ not the one who leaves."

"You're the exception to the rule for her," Cassie agreed.

"So what are you trying to get at, Cassie?" Kurt asked as he leaned forward a bit. "Don't try to be so mysterious … what?"

"Just…" Cassie leaned back and took a moment to consider her words rather than just trying to say it all at once. "Don't let her try to run away because she thinks she's beating you to the punch. Which she does. A lot."

"I won't try to make her stay if she wants to go," Kurt replied softly.

Cassie groaned dramatically and put her head in her hands. "She _doesn't want to go_ , you idiot."

"Then why would she leave?"

"Because she, like you, is an _idiot,_ " Cassie said, shaking her head in her hands. "Just ... I know you think you're helping? With the giving her space? But she's half-convinced she scared you off. And if you leave her alone long enough, she'll be wholly-convinced and run off before you have the chance to leave her — or whatever."

"Are all younger women so complicated?" Kurt asked with a little laugh. "Because I don't recall this much confusion at your age."

"We're a mystery," Cassie agreed with a smirk. "I just — I recognize the scared Kate phone call, and I _had_ to step in before either of you totally wrecked the best thing that's ever happened to her ever."

" _Wonderbar_ ," he grumbled out. He was quiet for a moment before, softly, he asked, "Does this shop offer a to-go option? Perhaps she could use something."

Cassie grinned at him. "There you go. Ice cream. That would definitely help."

"So order her whatever she usually gets, and I'll bring it to her," Kurt said, then paused. "Unless she'd do better with you, then I'll take you too."

"Oh no. No — no. First of all, I'm _so_ not allowed at the mansion? And second — I'm so not you. Totally different need," Cassie said, holding up both hands.

Kurt half laughed at that. "Why are you not allowed at the mansion?"

"Oh, um, I'm sorta ... well." Cassie rubbed the back of her neck. "Well, I died? Being a superhero? So Mom doesn't want me to do it anymore."

"That is a hazard," Kurt replied. "But you also need to do what you love. Follow your calling."

"I try to," Cassie agreed. "Just — trying to move out and get my own place first to avoid the Death Mom Glare. And the step-dad glare."

"If you tire of that and want training, we keep our doors open," Kurt told her. "I'd be happy to give you the address."

Cassie smirked. "It would make keeping you two idiots from running away from each other easier," she teased. "For someone who's supposed to be older and more mature, you're very dramatic."

"If the situation is as dire as you put it out to be, I'm not sure anyone can fix it," Kurt replied, though he was smirking by that point. "And I'm the drama teacher at Xavier's. If I'm not dramatic, then I'm not doing my job properly."

She giggled at that. "Okay, you're funny. I can see why Kate's totally in deep over you."

"I believe you are overstating things," Kurt laughed.

"No, no, you really are funny."

"Yes, well. You haven't seen the tail yet. It seems to give most people the creeps," Kurt replied.

"Kate likes it," Cassie pointed out. "She likes you."

"I think that has more to do with having saved her from an unhealthy fall," he teased.

"Uh-huh." Cassie leaned back, still laughing, before she seemed to change tacts entire again. "So — you know. In the far, _far_ , future? You have to ask my permission for the real deal, right?"

"I don't know that will ever be an issue," Kurt replied easily, knowing that if this was how Kate reacted only to what she _thought_ was a proposal… the real thing just wasn't going to happen. And that was fine — he was happy with her as things were, and he would never do anything to push her into something she didn't want. But all the same, he had to smile at Cassie and say, "But it's good to know where to go, seeing as there is … a gap."

"You know you're going to have to talk to, like, the whole team?" Cassie just laughed. "I mean, in the far, _far_ future."

"If you say so," he replied.

The ice cream Cassie had ordered for Kate arrived in a to-go bag, and Cassie just grinned at Kurt as soon as the waiter had gone. "Hey. Right. So — talked a lot. I do that? But — thesis statement? We're all rooting for you. Whole team. Really. So — you know. Don't let her slip away because she's stupid."

"Good to know," he replied with a little smirk. "And, I'll try to convince her I'm not all that terrible. Would you care to walk with me to the alley?"

She grinned at him. "Sure. It's good manners to see someone off."

He paid for the ice cream, and the two of them left, more or less in silence. When they got to the alley, he slipped into the shadows and flipped off the inducer before he looked over to her with a sheepish kind of smile. "It's not fair to introduce myself not looking as I usually do." He extended his hand and said hello again.

Cassie looked a bit shocked at the sudden change but took the offered hand. "Oh. Okay. Hi," she said with a little grin. "You're ... not quite like Kate describes you. Or like your pictures. Just fyi."

"I'm … not surprised somehow," he said quietly. "You must come to see her when you've got time."

Cassie just grinned at him. "Go give her ice cream and attention. She loves both of those things from you," she said, shooing him with her hands.

"Goodnight, Cassie. It was … informative," Kurt said before he simply teleported away in a puff of smoke.

When he reappeared in their room, Kate was just coming back in herself, her hair pulled back in a ponytail and sticking to her face with sweat as she put away her bow and quiver after what must have been a strenuous exercise. She flopped down on the bed and grinned when she saw the name of the ice cream shop on the bag he was holding. "Oh. You must love me," she said with a sigh.

"As if there was a doubt," Kurt replied as he handed it over. "Cassie says hello, by the way."

"Oh, did she call you?"

He chuckled a bit as he slipped onto the bed. "Don't sound so surprised. She had to have gotten my number somehow," he teased. "I told her she needs to come visit."

"Yeah, I keep telling her to just tell her parents to lay off, but…" Kate shrugged. "I just go to visit her while she's still living at home. Easier that way."

Kurt waved his hand about it. "I'll handle it," he promised. "I have a way with nervous heroes-to-be."

"You have a way with everyone," she teased as she pulled out the chocolate sundae and handed him a second spoon that Cassie had slipped into the bag.

"One opinion in the crowd," he replied.

"The best opinion," she countered. "Because I'm always right."

"That could well be true," he said with a little smirk before he paused and let out a small sigh, looking a bit more serious. "I did not mean to set off the wrong impression. I don't move that fast," he told her.

Kate shook her head and waved him off with the hand that was still holding a spoon. "Don't worry about it," she told him sincerely. "It was just ... bad timing. I mean. The wedding with Scott and Annie and then Paris and ... and yeah."

"Yes, it was stupid of me," he said with a nod as he got into the sundae with her. "I didn't even consider how it looked."

"It was thoughtful and romantic," she countered.

"And stupid. I'll be sure to avoid any and all romantic locations in the future."

She grinned at him around her spoon. "If you insist," she allowed. "But — you know — I'm totally _not_ opposed to more candlelight dinners and wine and long walks in the City of Lights with my favorite X-Man. For future reference. It was really nice."

"Well, don't worry." He let out a sigh and leaned back. "I won't do anything to mislead you again."

"We got our wires crossed, sweetheart. It happens." She took another bite and then shrugged up to her ears. "Sorry for ... you know. I sort of ruined the mood. You're not mad?"

"No," he said gruffly. "Never."

"Good, because I thought…" She shoved the spoon back in her mouth and chewed over another bite of ice cream. "Anyway. Happy one-year of whatever the heck we're doing."

"I believe it's putting up with demonic shenanigans," he said dryly.

"And tiny Katie terrors," she chuckled. "And bigger Katie terrors."

" _Frohes Jubiläum_ ," he replied with a little kiss that he was surprised turned into something a bit longer when Kate pulled him closer. "Let's see where it takes us."


	5. Past The Point of Paperwork

**Notes: Haha, yes, Scruffy, it's a very good thing Cassie's around for these two idiots. They have good friends ;)**

 **Griezz, as longtime Nightcrawler fans know, Kurt's teleportation powers were in fact limited before he died, to a point, but you're not giving our favorite Fuzzy Elf enough credit here. Even before he had the bamfs, he could teleport up to 300-500 miles (depending on the writer). The movies and cartoons limit him more than the comics do because it looks better visually to do short jumps, but he has always been able to do long distance in the Marvel comicsverse.**

 **But when he came back from heaven, his powers had significantly boosted. (See volume one of our fic. In the "This Looks Bad" chapter of "A Wolverine, an Elf, and a Hawkeye Walk Into a Bar," we had Kurt explaining this to Kate, saying that he's been able to 'port further since dying - and further still when he uses the bamfs.)**

 **That's not just a 714 thing, either. That's comic canon. If you haven't read the 2014 Nightcrawler run, first of all, shame on you. The issue after the Death of Wolverine is stunningly drawn and will make you cry as Kurt reflects on all the people he's lost over the years. Sure, we hate the Death of Wolverine arc, but Kurt's reaction was A+ Kurt writing. But I digress. In issue #8 of that Nightcrawler run (which you should read anyway because that issue also involves hilarious bamf shenanigans and Kurt** _ **flirting with a space pirate lady omg**_ **), Kurt teleports from the mansion to a desert on the other side of the world and then just… sits there in shock for a bit until he figures out that the bamfs are acting like "living superchargers" (his words) to give him even more range to his 'ports.**

 **So now, with the bamfs helping him, as long as he or the bamfs know where they're going, Kurt can get almost anywhere in one 'port. We're actually trying to tone that back in the 714 so he's not as buffed in our 'verse as the 'official' 616 universe, but I understand the confusion if you're not up on your Nightcrawler comic reading.**

* * *

 **Chapter 5: "Past the Point of Paperwork"**

* * *

When Scott and Annie returned from two weeks in Hawaii, they were both tanned and grinning, and Annie giggled when Scott insisted on carrying her through the front door of the mansion, positively beaming.

Anyone that was nearby on their arrival gave them a round of applause as they entered, with Jubilee as the loudest supportive voice — whistling and cheering them on, which only made Scott blush. Annie, of course, loved every second of it and assured him that she was just glad the X-Men liked her, seeing as she'd be part of their lives now.

"It's good to have you back," Storm said with a wide smile and a warm hug as the last members of the team — Kate and Kurt — arrived in a poof of smoke, sweaty and half out of breath in their uniforms, just popping in from a session in the Danger Room, where Kurt was teaching Kate his own style of swordsmanship.

"Wow, you two are working hard," Scott said their way with a smirk. "Anything happen while we were gone?"

Kate and Kurt glanced at each other before Kate answered quickly, "Nothing big. Kurt's been helping me with swords so I can learn the dual wield."

"Is everyone working so hard?" Scott asked, still clearly in a good mood with one hand around Annie's waist.

"Uh — if you count Jubes totally kicking Bobby's butt in the epic prank war you missed? Then yes. Yes they have," Kate said.

"Prank war? Again?" Scott laughed. "What kicked it off this time?"

"Bobby suggested that Jubilee might be trying to lead Noh into their own happy nuptials," Kurt said with a little smirk.

Scott laughed outright. "She's not — they're not serious."

"Yeah, well, Noh didn't understand Earth wedding customs, and it was too good of an opportunity for Bobby to pass up," Kate explained, chuckling as she shoved her hair out of her face.

"Has he admitted that Jubes is winning yet?" Scott asked.

"Has he ever admitted that without someone else stepping in?" Kurt asked with a laugh.

"Is it time for someone to step in?"

"Oh, don't do that yet," Kate said sincerely. "Jubes has one last prank cooked up, and it's going to be glorious, and trust me, you'll want to see it."

Scott just smirked and shook his head at that. "Alright, but if it ends up taking anyone else out — you're going to help with the clean up."

"Yes sir, Mister Boss Man," Kate said with a teasing grin. "One janitor reporting for duty — you know, if it gets that bad." She swept her hair back agains and then gave up and just undid the ponytail to redo it entirely before she turned to Kurt. "Okay. Go again?"

Kurt nodded in agreement — and Scott spoke up. "Mind if I watch? I've never seen him teach the dual."

Kate shrugged. "As long as you don't laugh at me," she teased. "I'm still very much a beginner with my left hand. _Very_ much."

"You're learning a new skill; I'm not going to tease," Scott promised.

"Great! Then you can come if you want," Kate said. She broke into a teasing grin. "Besides, you, mister, haven't finished my training either."

"I know; we're going to have to get back into that," Scott agreed. "We have things to do, I'm sure. Might even start doing some easy missions. Two man runs. Things like that."

"Don't know if you've heard, but I was on a two-man team for years before I met you," Kate teased. "I don't need the training wheels."

"Yeah, fishing Barton out of dumpsters doesn't really count," Scott laughed.

"You've met the tracksuits. We were also fighting them," Kate said, unable to stop the grin.

"Okay, well. If you can do that without laughing then alright," Scott had to admit, still with a little grin. "But how about X-Man two person teams? That's … a little bit different."

"Then, what're we waiting for? Throw something on the schedule, boss man," Kate told him.

"Unfortunately, our line of work doesn't give us a heads up on rescue missions and pick ups. We have to wait on Rachel for that. But — show me what you got." Scott grinned and headed toward the elevators, extending one hand in a gesture for her to go right ahead.

Kate grinned as she and Kurt took the fast way to the Danger Room, and the two of them fell back into the easy sparring they had been doing as a warmup as Scott went up to the booth, half watching the two of them and half skimming through the files to see what all had been happening while he was gone.

He was still partially paying attention to Kurt's gentle instruction and critiques of Kate's form when he got to the files from just after he and Annie had left for their honeymoon, and the grin he'd been wearing for weeks started to quickly settle into a frown as he read over the reports of the team's encounter with Sinister.

By the time he'd finished reading and had settled into a nice glare as he re-read it, Kate and Kurt made their way back to the booth, panting and grinning until they noticed the look on his face. "What's got your goat?" Kate asked.

"What happened with Sinister?" Scott asked, no preamble, as he turned their way, file in hand. "And where is Logan?"

"He's gone to the woods. I'm sure he'll be back soon enough," Kurt said with a shrug. "As for Sinister — well, we didn't win the fight, but he did have to change bodies. That was why Logan left."

But that didn't seem to be enough answer for Scott, who looked nearly accusatory. "Did you know Sinister was around? Why didn't you tell me?"

"You were on your honeymoon?" Kate pointed out, one hand on her hip and clearly in disbelief that _this_ was his reaction to finding out they'd stopped that creep from screwing with his happiness. "That's not an interruptible thing."

"It is when there's a psychopath like that running around," Scott said with a tone that made it clear that to him at least, it was the most simple answer in the world.

"There are _always_ psychopaths running around," Kate pointed out, pointing an accusing finger at him. "Attitude like that and poor Annie will never get any romance with you."

Scott sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Sinister is a special case."

"Which is why he came when he did," Kurt pointed out. "He would likely have been thrilled to have interrupted your honeymoon — which is why we didn't _let him_."

Scott's jaw locked up as he glanced up at Kurt. "And Logan just disappeared right afterward. Sounds about right."

"He got a total beat-down. Him and Noh both. So — you know." Kate shrugged.

"Yeah, I know," Scott said quietly as he simply scrubbed a hand over his face with the weariness evident in his body language and tone. "Nothing changes around here." With that, he put the file back and let out a sigh. "You two looked good down there. Keep it up."

"Go kiss Mrs. Boss," Kate suggested with her head tipped to one side as she watched him. "You look like you need it."

Scott sighed as he looked her over carefully. "Can't hurt, I suppose," he said with a tiny smirk, though he looked a bit distant.

"Can't hurt?" She put her hands on her hips. "Oh, if Annie heard you talking like that, you'd be swimming in Southern right now. Can't hurt. Honestly."

"I don't know what that means, but you might be right," Scott said with a little laugh.

"Of course I am." Kate shooed him toward the door with both hands. "Come on. You should be glowing, Mr. Newlywed. Go get it back."

Scott couldn't help but smirk a bit more at that as he allowed Kate to shoo him. After all, he wasn't going to say no to a little more time with Annie.

* * *

When Kate arrived at the simulator a few days later to meet up with Scott for some flight training, she had to tease him when she saw that he was smiling. "Kiss Mrs. Boss recently?" she asked him outright.

"Yes. Much kissing of the Mrs. Boss," he said with a nod and a smile at her antics. "Thanks for asking."

She just grinned and nodded. "Good. I like my instructors happy and well-kissed," she teased. "Puts them in a better mood for putting up with me."

"Yeah, because you're really hard to deal with," he said dryly. "Let's just get some hours put on this thing so I can check it off your list."

"Promise not to crash it if you're nice," she said cheerfully as she climbed in.

"I'm always nice," Scott replied with a winning smile.

"Then there will be no crashing."

However, that went downhill fast. Scott couldn't help but give her pointers and suggestions on even the tiniest of matters, and Kate got tired of his 'help' after maybe five minutes. She quickly established that every time Scott tried to talk her through something that she knew well — and had _told_ him she knew well — she would do something to retaliate and get her point across, from just letting go of the stick and turning to talk to him while the sim crashed to purposely sideswiping his side of the simulator against a rock cliff or any number of silly things that had Scott torn between yelling and outright laughing.

"You said there would be no crashing!" Scott pointed out.

"I said there would be no crashing if you were nice," she shot back after having just crashed them into a cliff. "I told you — I don't need to be told nine thousand times about half this crap. You're supposed to teach me how to get _better_ , not how to get annoyed."

Scott just stared at her for a moment in disbelief before he simply threw up both of his hands. "Okay, fine, Top Gun — show me what you have." He gestured to the controls on the sim. "Just — go ahead. What can you do?"

"Watch and learn," Kate said with a grin — she'd clearly just been waiting for the opportunity. "And zip your lips," she added, complete with zipper miming motions.

With that, she seized the controls and took off, taking them through a few loops, tight spins, and quick maneuvers before she landed them neatly, brushed her hands off, and looked his way pointedly. "There. _There_. Now — _now_ is the part where you tell me how I can improve."

He couldn't hide the smile as he looked down at her. "Okay. You've got some skills." He shook his head. "Next mission we get — you're pilot."

She grinned outright. "That sounds suspiciously like a compliment, Scott."

"Let's just see how you fly for real."

* * *

Kate was all decked out in her uniform, which now included a sword after all the time she'd spent with Kurt, and ready to go as she passed Jubilee and Noh in the kitchen and gave her a jaunty salute. "See ya later, Jubes! Off to go save the world with the boss man," she called out.

"Have fun, try not to kill him," Jubilee called back. "In spite of the stick, we love him!"

"Don't worry — I'm training him well," Kate said with a grin. "Toodles!"

"Good luck with that," Jubilee said quietly as she turned back around on her kitchen stool to shoot a smile Noh's way. "So. What to do, what to do…"

He was sitting in the stool beside her as he seemed content to just grin at her with his chin resting on the palm of his hand until she addressed him. "Well," he said with a shrug as he straightened up to consider the question. "There are so many options... Parties to attend, pranks to plan…"

"Your turn to pick," she decided. "I've been hogging all the fun lately."

"Honestly, I think I could use a little peace and quiet," he admitted, one hand resting on her shoulder as he absently traced the edges of her shirt with the tips of his fingers. .

"Ooooh, how novel," she said with a broad smile. "Unless you mean alone time ... then ... you know. Whatever. I'll find _something_ to do with myself," she added with an overly dramatic pout.

He just laughed and hook his hand around the back of her neck to pull her into a long kiss. "I was thinking a little trip to space. Nothing too far, just a low orbit. I miss the stars," he admitted when the kiss broke, resting his forehead on hers.

"Then we _need_ stars," she said with a nod that moved both of their heads together.

He smiled before he straightened up again and grabbed her by the hand. "Then what are we waiting for, Jubilee? I have music, the universe has stars, and you — you have a delightful smile that outshines them both."

"Well you put the smile there," she countered, smiling at his infectious excitement. "Lead on."

With that, he just grinned and swept her up in his arms to carry her off to the ship in the hangar, and it wasn't long at all before they were in stationary orbit above the school and he was listening to the Ronettes, as usual, the beaming smile obvious as soon as the drums started up. Jubilee was grinning at him and dancing along as he pulled her by both hands, just watching her favorite alien shed every worry and just _enjoy_ himself.

But then — the communications equipment chirped at them to let them know that they were being hailed. Both of them paused in their dancing, and Noh let out a long sigh as he had to turn the music down.

"Never a dull moment," she said with a little smile before she kissed the end of his nose.

"Especially with you," he agreed as he flipped on the communications screens, though he lost a bit more of his smile when he saw the official-looking SWORD emblem and a severe-looking woman with green hair on the other end of the screen. "Can I help you?" he asked politely.

"Noh-Varr, this is Abigail Brand of SWORD," she said in a crisp tone. "We'd like a quick word with you, seeing as you've been living on Earth for some time without going through our procedures first."

"I believed everything was in order after I spoke with the director of SHIELD," Noh said calmly. "If I've done something amiss, that was not my intent. If you have forms — or something else — please, send them my way."

"I'm afraid we're past the point of forms," she replied curtly as she removed her sunglasses. "You'll need to come with our SWORD officers. It shouldn't take too long if you're compliant."

"That," Noh said with his jaw tight as Jubilee could feel the rest of him tensing beside her, "depends entirely upon SWORD's actions."

"Just join the nice representatives that are coming to dock," Brand said. She didn't even blink as she turned her attention to the _Marvel_ 's other occupant. "Miss Lee, you are welcome to stay where you are."

"Package deal, lady," Jubilee said with her arms crossed. "Sorry 'bout your luck."

"I'm sure it won't take long," Noh said softly, but with enough venom in his tone that Brand couldn't possibly have mistaken it. "She can come with me to keep you company while I ... decide if SWORD deserves compliance." He was speaking slowly and carefully, but there was no mistaking the fact that he had moved so that he was standing slightly in front of Jubilee with his fists clenched, even if they were only speaking over a relay.

Brand narrowed her eyes slightly. " _If_ we allow Miss Lee to come along, _our_ discussion will be private."

"That's fair," Noh said, again speaking very carefully. "So long as she is allowed to _leave_ with me."

Brand considered it for a moment before an unsettling smirk rested on her features. "I find that acceptable."

Noh turned to Jubilee. "Would that work for you?" he asked. "I don't want to speak for you."

"I'm staying with you," she said stubbornly. "And I will paff the life out of anyone that doesn't like it. Including this ... Brand creep."

"Then we'll meet your representatives at the docking station," Noh told Brand. "And I will have Miss Lee with me."

"Until our meeting," Brand replied. "She can wait that out in a very comfortable office space."

"Jubilee?" Noh pressed quietly.

She looked up at Noh and then to the screen before she pointed a finger Brand's way. "You harm one hair on his head and I'll blow your stupid smug look off your face."

"Somehow I'm not surprised at your reaction," Brand said dryly. "Considering your background, that is. It's a shame you weren't with the X-Men last time I had dealings with them."

"I should note," Noh said, his voice low, "that the same threats Jubilee has uttered apply in my case if you should hurt her."

"For as inseparable as you have been lately, I'm not shocked," Brand replied.

"I take it that means you have been monitoring me?" Noh said coolly.

"It's part of what we do," Brand replied.

Noh frowned and then turned to Jubilee, switching off the communications screen without even an attempt at a pleasant goodbye. He offered her his arm. "Come on. Let's meet these… people at our door," he said with a deep frown, and she latched onto his arm after she made it a point to pop up on her toes and kiss his cheek. Noh had told her his history with SHIELD — most of it, anyway — and she knew how uncomfortable and upset these people made him. Which just made her mad on his behalf.

The SWORD agents that docked with the _Marvel_ and took them to Brand were … stoic. And very well-armed. Though when one got too close to Jubilee and she gave them a false rush with her hands up defensively, the man did have the sense to flinch, at least.

"I don't like this," Jubes said almost inaudibly even to Noh.

He simply responded by grabbing her hand and lacing their fingers together, a silent show that he wasn't going to let them separate the two of them.

When they met up with Brand outside her office, he gave Jubilee's hand a little squeeze rather than extend his own in greeting. "I certainly hope whatever you have to say is worth my time," he said sharply.

"I wouldn't waste my precious time if it wasn't," Brand replied flatly before she gestured to a different office for Jubilee to wait in. "We won't be long, sweetheart."

Noh glanced at Jubilee's' livid expression. "I would suggest you refrain from calling her by names that I use," he said in very nearly a low hiss. "They are not yours."

Sparks were jumping from Jubilee's free hand as she glared at Brand. "One hair," she warned in a tone dripping with ice, "and I will come and visit you alone. And talk about what you pulled with Dr. McCoy while I'm melting your face off."

Brand just gave Jubilee a dry look — but a far more appraising one as well — before she waved Noh into the office, which he noted almost immediately had been soundproofed. "If this is meant to keep me from calling to Jubilee, we will have a problem," he said bluntly.

"I was under the impression that you didn't need the littlest X-Man's assistance," Brand said.

"I don't," he said. "But that doesn't mean I don't appreciate the backup, not does it mean I don't believe having her by my side is the best decision I've made since coming to your universe."

She paused and seemed to search his expression for moment, and when he only responded by holding her gaze, she nodded once. "Good to know." She took in a deep breath and took a seat before she got right down to it. "You're going to help us out. We have a little work that we think you'd be perfect for."

Noh raised an eyebrow. "I'm happy to help protect this Earth," he told her frankly. "But I don't understand the need for the theatrics."

"It's not theatrics," she replied, though she seemed almost tired as she slid the file across to him. "Here is your assignment. You can take it the easy way, like a good boy, or we can do this the hard way. Your choice entirely."

He narrowed his eyes at her as he looked over the file — a small mission, but one that would supplant SHIELD's hold on a base in Antarctica. "There is nothing here of interest to you," he told her as he slid the file back to her. "SHIELD is your ally, and this base is one of Fury's. I do not like the organization as a whole, but his choices are less… distasteful."

"As it happens, I agree," Brand replied honestly before the stoic facade cracked for just a moment as she sighed out a little breath. "But this is over my head."

"This is a power struggle," he surmised. He sighed and shook his head. "I don't want any part in a fight between your organization and SHIELD. I don't see how that will protect Earth."

"If I could tell you all the details, I would, but you need to do this job if you want to keep playing around with that little X-Man."

He narrowed his eyes at her. "And if I refuse?"

"You can't. I'm just asking for your cooperation."

"But not my permission."

"If it comes to that," she said with a nod.

He frowned and reached for the file once more, looking at it more closely as he just started to swear in Kree under his breath, cursing SWORD and the situation in general.

"It's not necessary to speak like that," she said, the glare obvious even behind her sunglasses. "I didn't do anything personally to you."

He looked up at her and then pursed his lips. "You speak Kree."

"I speak most languages," she admitted. "It's useful in negotiations."

He pressed a hand to the bridge of his nose as he let out a breath. "I will do this _one_ thing for you. And then you will find another operative."

She smirked his way. "We'll discuss it further at a later date," she replied. "But for now, I think you might want to put your little toy away and get to work."

"What, no earpiece? Instructor following my every move?" Noh asked coldly.

"If you need it, I can have it brought right up," she shot back.

He stood up with a glare. "I've managed on my own without your interference for years," he said.

"Then I'll leave you to it," she replied. She paused, took off her sunglasses, and let out a long sigh. "But for what it's worth — the orders suggested we shouldn't give you the option at all. But I disagree with that assessment."

Noh just glared. "Know this, Abigail Brand: I _will_ find out where the orders came from."

"If I get another order that I disagree with this much, I might just let it slip," she told him honestly as she replaced the glasses.

"Then on that, at least, we can agree." He pushed the file back to her. "I don't need it — I've learned all I can."

"I know," she replied as she gathered up the file and pushed it into an incinerator on her desk. She glanced back up at him with almost a smile. "Good luck — but for what it's worth? I hope you can't pull this one off."

"It's a simple mission for me," he said with a smirk. "But we'll see. Perhaps their security is not as… lax as the reports indicate."

"That would be unfortunate," she agreed with a matching smirk.

He extended his hand to her for a very quick handshake. "I'm sure we'll speak again, Abigail Brand."

"Jubilation should be good and mad by now," Brand said, tipping her head toward the door. "I'd hate to be the one handing down marching orders when she gets really mad. Particularly with a secondary mutation starting to show."

Noh raised an eyebrow, pausing in what would otherwise have been an almost friendly parting. "You would do well to keep your nose out of her business," he said in a low tone.

"Incidental catch," she said with a wave. "Terrans don't interest SWORD."

"Somehow, that makes SWORD more appealing than SHIELD in general for my tastes." He paused and shook his head. "Good day, Miss Brand," he said as he went for the door. "I hope this is the final time we work together."

"At least under these circumstances," Brand agreed.

Noh smirked as he walked out of the office and to the one nearby, where, as expected, Jubilee was pacing, sparks shooting from her fingertips. "Jubilee, you have always looked best when you are ready for a fight," he called out to her the moment he stepped in the room.

"Just because of the sparks, I'm sure," she replied, the color still in her cheeks as she glared at the guards near the door.

"They bring out the color in your face and the sparks in your eyes," he said soothingly.

She paused, though the sparks didn't die down. "No sweet-talking until we're off this tin can."

He nodded his agreement. "I will do as you ask — but it pains me," he teased.

The smirk came on its own as she looked up at him. " _You_ are asking for trouble, mister."

"I so often am," he agreed as he offered her his arm. "Come, let's leave these people behind and go home."

She finally stowed the sparks and took his arm, though she was still ready to blast the first person that touched her. "I'm not sure I feel much like dancing," Jubilee admitted. "But music and you would be perfect."

He nodded as they walked back toward his ship. "I think that would be lovely. We need to go back to Earth anyway."

"That's a shame," she said looking up at him with one raised eyebrow. "We just got to the stars."

He shrugged and did a very good impression of someone who wasn't disappointed. "There's a small matter SWORD would like my help with. I can take you back to the stars as soon as I have disposed of their … ridiculousness."

"I'll just take that as a promise," she said loftily.

"See that you do," he replied, pulling her a bit tighter to him.

"Do you need any help in this stupid secret matter?"

"Not at all," he said with a wave of his hand. "You do not need to be involved."

She wrapped her arms around his waist as they walked. "Okay. I trust you."

He nearly stopped in the middle of SWORD's hallway at that pronouncement, and for a moment, she watched him struggle with an expression that didn't quite make it all the way onto his face. But then he just picked up the pace and swept her up into a warm embrace and a long, lingering kiss the moment they arrived on the _Marvel_. "I'll strive to be worthy of that trust," he whispered to her earnestly.


	6. Consideration

**Notes: Oh yeah. Officially, Noh's totally fine with SWORD and SHIELD. They're just being stupid. Or** _ **someone**_ **there is. ;) As for the various agencies of Marvel, that's just part of the existing worldbuilding. Marvel created a world where there was an actually effective supranational agency, one where even the all-powerful US actually has to be subject to letting their agents do their thing. I know. It's shocking. Please refrain from fainting :P**

 **And Scruffy - we hope you like this chapter in particular because we know how much you've been missing a certain someone ;)**

* * *

 **Chapter 6: "Consideration"**

* * *

Jubilee was back in the kitchen distractedly stirring the remains of a bowl of melted ice cream when Kate and Scott came in from their mission in high spirits.

"Seriously, one of these days, you and I are going to have to have a shoot-out," Kate was saying to Scott with a huge grin. "Because that, my friend, was a _lucky_ shot."

" _Yours_ was maybe," Scott replied. "I don't miss."

"Well, _I_ never miss either," Kate said. "Wouldn't be a Hawkeye if I did, would I?" She was still grinning as she looked over at Jubilee. "What's up?" she asked as she dropped into the seat next to her while Scott filled up a water bottle only to down most of it.

"Oh you know, just the usual," Jubilee replied with a tired smile. "Hanging behind while everyone else has all the fun."

" _What?_ " Kate shook her head and then bumped Jubilee's shoulder with her own. "Not possible. All the fun is with you."

Jubilee just snorted at that. "Right. So clear. How did I miss it?" She frowned at her bowl and pulled a face. "That is totally gross."

"You know, if you want to go out on a mission next time, you just need to say so," Scott said as he sat down across from her, head tipped to one side.

"Sure, Scotty. I'll keep that in mind." Jubilee glanced up at him then put on a very forced-looking smile. "You're my first call."

Kate and Scott shared a look before Kate draped her arm around Jubes' shoulders. "Okay. So. Did he dump you or something? Because I can punch him."

"If that had happened, you would still be seeing sparks," she shot back. "From space."

Kate smirked and snorted a little laugh. "Yeah, well ... half-melted ice cream, grumpy Jubes, it seemed like a good guess. Seriously."

She waved her hand a little and rolled her eyes. "No, some kind of super secret stupid thing for SWORD, of all people." She looked to Scott. "Brand was begging for someone to grab her by her ponytail and swing her around a few times. But it's fine. I promised to melt her face off if she pissed me off. You know. For Hank."

"I'll fly you there," Scott said quietly, with a soft smirk.

"So -— like I said. Back to staying home for all the cool missions. Alone. Mansion sitting." She gave Scott a significant look. "Seeing as I'm _so_ well-versed in it."

"Really — if you want to go out more, I'm sure we can find missions for you," Scott said after an almost sheepish smile.

"For what? Blackbird watching? Yeah, that was a lot of fun too."

"You can always come with me and fight some tracksuits," Kate offered with a smirk Scott's way. "That improves everyone's mood."

"It's funnier with the video," Scott pointed out. Jubilee frowned at him, clearly not having seen it, so he just pulled out his phone to hand it to her, the 'seriously, bro' video queued up for her. "Enjoy."

It actually took a little while before she finally cracked a smile. "You're a dork," she told him with a faint laugh as she handed it back to him.

"Just wait until you meet them in person. It's not even a joke simulation," Scott promised her.

"If you are exaggerating even a little bit, you are going to wear one of those suits for a week."

"Go with Kate sometime if you don't believe me," he replied.

She looked over at Kate with raised eyebrows. "Only if I can wear one of your uniforms and make them think there are _two_ of you."

Kate broke into the _biggest_ grin at that. "Yes. Oh, yes, I like this idea," she said, nodding.

"If we bring Clint too it'd be like Charlie's Angels."

"He'd do the pose," Kate promised, chuckling.

"Then Scott has to take the picture," Jubilee said, finally breaking into a real giggle.

"Or Peter," Kate said. "I want it framed."

"Yes. Better focus. He might even photobomb it." Jubilee was nodding and smiling now as she slapped both hands on the table and pushed herself up to her feet. "I'll go find him, inform him of his new post."

* * *

It had been three days before Noh came back to the mansion — and in the middle of the night. Rather than wake anybody up, he simply climbed up the side of the outside wall to Jubilee's window and sneaked in from there, slipping quietly into bed as he was ready to just _sleep._ He was well-worn, and he was faintly aware that he should probably stop by Henry McCoy's office in the morning for as badly as his ribs were hurting him after he'd been hit with a SHIELD grenade, but for the moment, he simply wanted to be near Jubilee and to be warm. He could block out the stimulus of cold temperatures if he needed to, but that didn't get rid of the bone-deep chill of Antarctica afterward.

He'd had quite the dressing down after the disastrous mission — which he did not mind in the slightest, especially because he'd _meant_ to make a mess of the whole thing. To most observers, it would look like he'd simply missed a single perimeter camera, but the metallic band around his upper arm, underneath his sleeve, that Brand had slipped him told him that she knew he'd seen it anyway. It was a Kree band, slightly psionic, and he could feel the warmth spreading through his body at how tired he was.

It was her way of saying thanks — for purposefully botching an operation she didn't agree with. For all her faults — and there were many — Noh could at least work with her.

He fell deeply asleep but was very loudly awoken a few hours later when Jubilee woke up and saw that he had slipped in during the night. She'd snuggled into him in her sleep, so as soon as she woke up even a little bit and realized he was there, she all but shouted in his face in both surprise and anger that he hadn't woken her up to say he was back.

"Jubilee, please," he said when she sat up to shout at him some more. "You were asleep, and it was late. I _thought_ I was being considerate!"

"Being considerate would have been to wake me up with kisses, you goofball," she countered before she snuggled back down and squeezed him tightly.

"Gently," he said as he sucked in a quick breath. "Gently, Jubilee, please."

At that, she propped herself up on one arm and started pulling at his shirt, noticing for the first time the bruising there. "What did you do to yourself?"

"To myself? Nothing!" he said quickly, trying to pull his shirt back from her.

She tipped her head at him, her eyes narrowed and her mouth pressed into a thin line. "Strip," she ordered him. "I wanna see how bad it is. And if you don't want to cooperate, I'll cut it off you."

"Are you sure it's looking you want to do?" he tried to tease.

"If I have to be gentle, yes." She gave him a massive grin just to watch his expression. "Should I get my scissors?"

He sighed and pulled off his shirt over his head, throwing it at her as he did so — so that it landed on her face for a moment until she pulled it off. "You are a troublemaker, Jubilee. If you wanted me shirtless, you simply had to ask."

"Leave it as a standing request then," she replied with a shrug before she let out a little tut on seeing his injuries — Antarctica had not been kind to him. "You should see Hank. I can have him come here if you just want to relax."

"I had every intention of seeing your doctor after I saw you," he promised her. "I simply also needed sleep. I remember the last time I tried to avoid seeing him."

"Wanna snuggle up after?" she asked. "I could try gentle and snuggly."

"I couldn't possibly resist an offer like that," he agreed with a smile.

She watched him for a moment with a smile she couldn't quite stop, though it didn't reach her eyes, where her gaze was full of concern. "Are you okay though? I mean, really. If you don't need Hank, I won't push you."

"I'm fine," he promised. "Really. It was a minor SWORD annoyance, and I believe it's been dealt with. If your doctor could simply look me over and make sure I have not broken anything — which, admittedly, I think I might have — then I'll be… what's the phrase Annie uses? Right as rain?"

"Yep, that's the one," she agreed before she paused, tipped her head, and asked, "Do you need pancakes?"

"Snuggles, pancakes — you do know the way to my heart," he laughed.

"Oh, and — I may have found you a little present while you were gone," she said with a grin.

He beamed at her and leaned over to kiss her cheek. "Jubilee, you are wonderful. What is it?"

"An old 45 of your favorite song," she said with a little smile. "The 'B' side is in great shape too."

His eyes widened and he simply stared at her for a moment in shock before he just grabbed her and kissed her as hard as he was physically able to, right into the pillows.

* * *

The day before classes started back up again, it was obvious that Annie was nervous about her first day teaching there — because she was "stress baking," as she called it. By the time dinner rolled around, it was practically a four-course meal, not to mention the dozens of cookies she'd made, of various kinds, and the banana nut bread that was still in the oven.

Storm had tried to assure her that she would be fine — but was summarily pushed from the kitchen, as was most of the team, including Scott, who had tried very hard to calm her down but was obviously stressed himself and was not actually at all helpful.

The only time she did settle down was for dinner itself, which everyone was sure to tell her was the most amazing meal they'd had in a long time. But right after, she banished herself back in the kitchen for cleanup, absolutely refusing any help no matter how many people offered it.

The bulk of the mansion was relaxing — or trying to — and just as things seemed to be at as much of a relaxed point as possible, Kurt straightened up and turned his head toward the front of the mansion. "Oh, his timing is just … _awful_ ," Kurt muttered just a few moments before Kate could hear the rumble of the Harley as it approached the mansion. Finally.

When Logan came in through the garage a short while later, he tipped his chin up at Kurt and Kate and simply sat down across from them, then tossed Kurt a can from the six pack he'd carried in with him.

"Did I miss anything interesting?" Logan asked as he cracked open his can and put his feet up.

"I'm training Scott," Kate said brightly before anyone else could say anything. "He's a fast learner."

"You should teach him some tricks," Logan teased before he offered her a beer, which she politely declined. "Wanna help me tear down the transmission this winter?" Logan directed to Kurt. "She won't shift into neutral."

Before Kurt could answer, though, Annie had come into the teacher's lounge, still looking frazzled with her hair pulled back and water and flour on her pants before she spotted Logan and positively stalked over to him to put her finger in his chest. "You," she said with all the venom of an angry Southern woman. "You — you've missed _every_ planning meeting this month, show up the _night before_ … _How_ you expect to be ready for tomorrow…!"

Logan never took his eyes off her for her little rant but he did very casually tip his beer can back as she sputtered, and when she was at least at a point to take a breath, he shrugged and answered as best he could. "It's the same deal every year," he replied. "I teach them to defend themselves and lecture history. That doesn't change. Relax."

She just glowered at him as Scott made his way over as well on seeing her so worked up. "I can't believe you — if anyone at any school _I've_ been to pulled such a stunt… there's such a thing as _decency_ and consideration for others, and — and what were we supposed to think with you gone for so long? Another few hours and we'd be looking at full classrooms and no teacher!"

With a little smirk, Logan didn't give her the answer she was after — instead, he just shrugged. "You sound like you could use a beer."

To the shock of everyone in the room, Annie simply grabbed the can he was holding and downed several gulps. "Yes. Yes I could," she shot back. "Because of _you_."

"I always have beer for people I drive to drink," he replied without missing a beat. "You want one too, Slim?" He was already holding one out for Scott.

Scott just shook his head at Logan, half exasperated at both of them as he put an arm around Annie's shoulders. "Annie, honey, he's just _like_ this."

"I ran into some trouble in Canada," Logan finally said with a little wave as a means of explanation that everyone else seemed to understand. "Took some time."

"I don't suppose you could have been bothered to _call_ ," Annie shot his way.

"I was _indisposed_ ," Logan replied seriously. "Lost my comm. It was a two-week hike from the nearest outpost. So — I got here as quick as I could."

She just glared at him, downed the rest of the can, and pointed a finger at him. "You — you're just… _ugh_." She turned on her heel and stalked back out of the room, pulling Scott by the hand as he looked like he couldn't decide whether to agree with her assessment of Logan or try to calm her back down.

"She's been stressed all day," Kate said in a low whisper to Logan as soon as the door was closed.

"She'll sleep well tonight now," Logan chuckled as he cracked open another can. "Got herself all tuckered out yelling."

"You missed the stress-baking," she said with a grin.

"Stress baking?" he asked. "The hell does that mean?"

"It means Annie took over the kitchen and took out her frustration on the contents of our pantry," Kurt explained with a little smirk. "And the dinner was delicious."

"I grabbed a burger on the way in," Logan replied. "Almost got in another fist fight."

"You so totally missed out," Kate said, shaking her head. "And you missed the part where she kicked Bobby out of the kitchen and threatened him with ... I didn't even understand the threat."

"Well, you guys missed the fight," Logan teased. "So ... oops."

"Yeah, you're in trouble for that," Kate promised. "But with Annie getting you in trouble too, I think I have to take a number."

"Don't think you would have liked it anyhow," Logan told her. "Old team. Old troubles. Scott gets antsy when I cheat on him with another team."

Kate snorted out loud. "He gets antsy so easily, though," she teased. "I'm trying to get him to stop freaking out on me every time I _do_ things."

"That's kinda like trying to stop the tide," Logan pointed out with a little laugh.

"Not if you do it right," she countered. "I just crash the sim if he annoys me."

"Well _you_ can get away with that; I can't." He paused and tipped his head back. "I'm more the thing that just pisses him off by breathing."

"I just must be a better trainer than you," she teased.

"For uptight Summers? Definitely."

"That reminds me." Kate grinned even wider over at him. "You've been replaced. Kurt's teaching me to dual wield."

"Oh. Good. You wanna take the history class so I can go back to Canada then?" Logan teased. "Just tell 'em what it was like in World War Two."

Kate grinned brilliantly at Kurt, who was already shaking his head at the pair of them. "Yeah, Professor Wagner. Tell us about the old days," she said in a slightly higher-pitched voice than normal.

"I suppose we could just put on _Pearl Harbor_ and call it a day," Kurt said with a shrug.

Kate made a face. "I hate that movie," she said, shaking her head.

"Because of Affleck or because it's inaccurate as hell?" Logan asked.

"Because it's not even _believably_ inaccurate," she said, shaking her head. "And because of Affleck."

"There are better ones," Logan replied.

"Tell me about them, oh film Professor Logan," Kate said, grinning.

"Keep your drama with the drama teacher," he teased.

"Whatdya think, Professor Wagner?" Kate asked as she tugged on Kurt's arm to pull him a bit closer and lay her head on his shoulder. "Think he could take on another class? Film critique?"

"No," Both of them answered at once.

"It would be great," Kate continued, unheeded. "I can see it now — 'this one's awful' 'this one's worse' — please write an essay on why."

"Keep it up and they'll find a real class for you to teach," Logan warned.

"I find that highly offensive," Kate said airily. "Archery _is_ a real class."

"It's more like a crappy after school club," Logan replied. "All the klutzes in one place."

"You want to fight, Wolverine? Because those — those are fighting words," Kate said, eyes narrowed.

"Yeah, it's been a few hours since my last fight," Logan laughed. "Gettin' bored already."

"So you insult the greatest sport ever?" Kate sniffed. "Rude. Just rude."

"I didn't say anything bad about football _or_ hockey."

She glared at him openly. "I can meet you in the Danger Room in ten minutes and make you take it _all_ back."

He chuckled outright and opened another beer. "Sure you can," he laughed. "We might even get both Summers' panties all wadded up too. Let's go."

"Hand to hand," she told him as she started to grin. "I need the practice anyway."

"Lemmie chug a bottle of whiskey on the way down and give you a fighting chance."

"Only if you promise to sing to me," she shot back with a grin.

"Gonna need more than one bottle if you want me to sing."

"Alright, children," Kurt said with a laugh, holding up both hands between the two of them. "It's getting late, and some of us need to be up in the morning to teach _real_ classes," he couldn't help but say with a little teasing grin Kate's way.

"Getting old, fuzzy Elf," Kate teased right back.

"Yeah, sounding older than _me_ ," Logan added. "That's … freakin' older than dirt. You should definitely take over history class."

"Oh, he can't," Kate said, shaking her head. "Because then he wouldn't be able to come see me in between _my_ classes, and I need an elf fix."

"Right. Too bad he can't … I dunno. _Teleport_."

She stuck her tongue out at him. "I prefer to be able to sneak up on _him_ ," she said haughtily.

"Like that's hard," Logan said with a raised eyebrow. "You see him do his impersonation of a Halloween cat yet?"

"With the tail straight up?" Kate giggled. "Once. Right at the end of a drama class. Boy did I get in trouble."

"You two are both terrible," Kurt said, shaking his head at both of them as he tried for a stern expression. "Keep it up and I'll get Storm out here. She's still mad about no one watering her flowers while she was in Wakanda. I could say either of you were in charge of it."

Kate and Logan shared a look before Kate just grinned at Kurt. "Speaking of Halloween and things that are actually scary..."

"Whatcha thinkin' Hawkeye?" Logan asked, totally ignoring Kurt's threat.

"Oh, nothing," she said airily. "Just wondering how many bamfs I could get on my side of the costume ideas."

"All of 'em if you bribe 'em," Logan said. "They'd do it anyhow for you, but bribes go a long ways."

She grinned at Logan. "Well then I think I know what my costume is this year."

"OK. What is it?"

"Tell you later," she whispered, jerking her thumb over her shoulder at Kurt. "Professor Wagner here might disapprove."

"Yet you're the one that's been hanging out with Summers."

"He's fun to play with," Kate said with a shrug. "You just gotta remind him to not be an idiot sometimes." She grinned a bit wider. "My favorite is still when we fought the tracksuits, though. I will never, _ever_ forget it."

"The hell were you fighting them for anyhow? Buncha low-level lowlives."

"He didn't believe me when I said that my simulation wasn't a joke. He was oh, so very wrong," Kate said, giggling.

"That stupid sim," Logan said shaking his head. "I forgot about it."

"Oh, but it's _perfect_ for cheering anyone up. I'm keeping it. You wouldn't believe the mileage I get out of it from half the team. Even let Clint take a drive through it the other day — since he and Jess are sort of, well, on the outs." She let out a sigh. "He needed a pick-me-up post-being-dumped."

"Oh, how'd that go?"

"He failed. Horribly. Couldn't stop laughing," Kate said, giggling again.

"Well. Now we know how he ends up in the dumpsters all the time."

"That and they like to catch him right after an Avengers mission when he's nice and exhausted," Kate said, feeling like she should defend her fellow Hawkeye at least a little. "But also the giggle fits, yeah." She grinned at him for a moment. "It's good hand-to-hand practice, actually, especially if you turn up the difficulty. And oh so very satisfying."

"When you're feelin' adventurous, you can try _my_ sims for hand-to-hand," Logan offered. "Just … turn the level down to yours. Don't need anyone actually killing you."

"You're on." Kate nodded and laughed.

"Which do you want? Hand ninjas? Silver Samurai? Omega Red? Or just a little Vic?"

She made a face at that last one. "Let's start with Hand ninjas," she suggested. "Friday night still work for our usual training?"

"Suit yourself, but you're never gonna improve like that," Logan said, raising an eyebrow her way.

"I said _start_ ," she countered. "That means there will be _more_."

"Well — you can always fight a raging me," Logan offered. "That's a fun sim."

"I'll run anything you want to throw at me, and totally ace it," Kate said, smirking. "C'mon. Give me a _challenge_ , Logan."

"Alright," he replied with an easy shrug. "Friday night. Might take me a little time to program it up."

"Take your time, grandpa. I know technology is hard for the elderly."

"Oh yeah, real rough," Logan chuckled back. "However will I handle all those buttons and levers?"

She just beamed at him and punched him affectionately in the arm. "Missed you, Wolverine. Not as much fun without you," she said before she just threaded her arm through Kurt's. "See you tomorrow. Try to stay out of the way of the rampaging Annie."

"I'll just poke her a little," Logan promised.

"On your own head," she countered with a little laugh.


	7. The Boss Lady

**Alright, so little aside from robbie: This chapter right here. This one is where we start to pull a little more away from the current 616. You'll see. But I am pre-emptively stating. Right now. That this is a** _ **different Marvel universe**_ **so we do what we want here. Remember, this is still an AU. This is not canon. But all of the seeds for our stories come from 616 canon or from earlier seeds in our other volumes. This one… I'll direct you to the Runaways/Young Avengers crossover. That's all I'll say about seeds. No spoilers shhhhh.**

 **From CC: Well … there is so much there to respond to, Griezz, so let me see. I guess the most glaring thing that brings me much concern is … what … part of that interaction looked like flirting to you?**

 **Now. I'm not saying you're wrong in regards to both Heather and Jean about having an interest … but, you're not right either. If you wanted to get technical? On both counts he wasn't being terribly bad about it (unless you seek out and enjoy the idiots that overplayed the Jean thing, then I just can't … I can't help you at all. That was dumb storytelling on their part.)**

 **I'd also like to point out that when Heather turned him down, he left Alpha Flight to keep from causing any troubles between her and Mac (settle down Scott, he just liked making you complain - but .. come on. He was gone a LOT from Westchester too.) And when he knew for sure that Jean really wasn't interested - *gasp* he didn't push!**

 **Now. yeah, I'm blatantly ignoring that totally idiotic storyline where he left Scott in the Savage Land for DEAD to hook up with Jean bc - let's be real. She knew. One of the most powerful psychics in the world and she couldn't tell that her husband, whom she had a psychic link with, was still alive? I call bullshit. So yeah, I ignore that storyline because it was basely stupid and written by a guy that admitted he really didn't like or understand why anyone liked Logan OR Scott. So. *poof* begone, shitty characterization.**

 **Seriously. There was no flirting. Annie is … definitely off limits. (or did I read you wrong on that review?)**

 **also HI Scruffy :) ... hopefully this brings up the Logan requirements we seem to NEED.**

* * *

 **Chapter 7: "The Boss Lady"**

* * *

The next morning, Annie was surprised to find that she wasn't the first one up. There was a full pot of coffee ready just before dawn — and Logan was in his usual spot reading the paper.

Kurt wasn't far behind him, and Storm had been through just before Annie and Scott. Annie did feel a little bad when Scott went right for the coffee with his shoulders slightly slumped — she hadn't slept except fitfully toward the end of the night, and that meant he hadn't gotten much sleep either. It had just… been so long since she'd done anything but teach little Alaskan five- and six-year-olds, and this was such a big change. She wanted to get this right. This was _Scott's home_ , and his school, and she wanted the whole thing to be perfect.

Scott pressed a cup of coffee into her hand before he filled a second cup for himself, and she sat down at the table with her notes for her first class in her hands as she read over them for about the third time already that morning. She had a list of the children in her class as well as pictures with their faces, and she was determined to know every single one of them as they came in.

"You'll do fine. They'll love you," Scott promised her for the fifth time since they'd left their bedroom when he saw the worried expression on her face, and she just let out a breath and kissed his cheek but didn't say anything else.

Breakfast passed far too quickly for her tastes, and she found herself all but holding her breath as she got to her classroom and set up shop early, smiling brightly at each student filing in and, mercifully, managing to get every single one of their names right as they sat down in their seats — and relishing the look of pleasant surprise on their faces when they realized the new teacher knew them.

By lunchtime, "Miss Annie," as she still preferred to be called by her students, was slightly less of a ball of pure stress, though she simply ate a quick bite in her classroom and took the opportunity to peek in on one of the other classes, curious to see how the other teachers conducted their classes at the school and to see if she was doing this right — no matter how many meetings she'd had with an ever-patient Storm to make sure she had the right idea.

The history class caught her attention, and she slipped into a seat in the back, half-curious to see if Logan even had anything prepared after coming so late — though she was pleasantly surprised.

By the time they were ten minutes into the class, Annie was just as enthralled as the other students as Logan started them off in World War I, with far more detail than Annie had expected, and by the second half of the class, the students were asking questions for a Q & A that had her raising her eyebrows at all the specifics he was able to give so readily with no notes in front of himself.

Clearly, he knew what he was doing. In fact, she had thoroughly enjoyed herself the entire time, and she was even surprised when the class was over at how quickly the time had passed and had to rush back to her own classroom — now slightly less stressed as she felt confident the students were in good hands.

By the end of the day, Annie was in a _great_ mood. She'd remembered every student's name, the kids seemed to honestly enjoy her more interactive approach to teaching, and she'd been able to sit in on both Logan's lecture and a literature lecture from Storm that had Annie wishing she was a student again just to take some of these classes.

Of course, with no stress and adrenaline keeping her upright, this also meant she was entirely exhausted, and she made it just long enough to get through dinner and gush to anyone who asked about how amazing this school was and how lucky she was to be part of it before she simply went up to her room and crashed contentedly.

* * *

Noh had gotten a message from SWORD about a follow up briefing from the debacle of a mission he'd purposefully botched in Antarctica, so that afternoon, he dropped by after Jubilee's class to give her a quick kiss and tell her where he was going.

He wasn't expecting the hug he got or the very very involved kiss before she told him to be careful, though he wasn't complaining either.

"I'm really not too concerned," he assured her. "As unlikeable as she is, I believe Miss Brand and I may have an understanding."

"Yeah, well. I still don't trust them any further than I can whip her by her stupid ponytail," she replied without letting go of him.

"Neither do I, which is why I've told you where I will be," Noh said with a soft smile before he kissed her forehead. "Do please come storm the place if you feel it's necessary."

"I'll make them regret every single life decision that has gotten them to that point if you're hurt," she promised. "And then I'll get mad."

"If you get mad, I believe the only step left to you is global domination," he teased.

"Then I'll do that," she agreed with a nod.

He just laughed and kissed her. "You would make a marvelous queen." He kissed her once more and then left her to the next wave of students — several of whom let out whistles on seeing the long kiss in the middle of the hallway — before he made his way down to the hangar, powered up his ship, and flew off toward Brand's coordinates.

He was surprised when he arrived that there seemed to be more traffic to the station than there had been last time, though he'd only had a few dealings with SWORD in the past, so he wasn't entirely sure what was normal for them. Still, it had him a bit wary as he docked with the station — that many people in uniform, in his experience, usually meant something was going on.

Maybe this wasn't going to be as simple as a debriefing after all.

Noh sighed and clenched his hands in fists to hide the ends of his fingers as he folded his arms over his chest, sharp nails now ready just in case — they couldn't exactly disarm him in that regard. He'd told Brand that he didn't want anything to do with whatever power struggle was happening inside SHIELD and SWORD, and this time, without Jubilee to worry about in the crossfires, he was prepared to prove he was serious.

But thus far, no one was attacking him or asking him to take on a mission — in fact, he didn't see Brand or anyone that he'd been in contact with after the Antarctica mission the entire way down to the briefing room, and as he took a seat in the empty room, he was starting to wonder _what_ was happening here.

He had been sitting, alone, in the room for some time before one of the monitors switched on, and when he saw that it was Maria Hill on the other side of the screen, he stood up immediately, teeth bared, and let out a low hiss.

"I was not impressed with the … work you did in Antarctica," Hill said, the glare on the other end of the monitor entirely too familiar. "It seemed sub-par for your usual level of difficulty. So what happened?"

"It may be hard for you to believe, but it is possible for even someone like myself to make an occasional mistake," Noh said with as much venom as he could muster.

"I don't believe that for one second," she said.

"Believe what you will, then," he said. "Your opinion doesn't interest me."

"Well it should," Hill replied, the fire flashing in her eyes. "Because you aren't done with your obligations to SWORD."

Noh gritted his teeth in frustration, wishing he had Hill in the room instead of a screen so he could tell her what he thought of her _obligations_. "I wasn't aware I had any at all. I did SWORD a favor as a courtesy."

Hill smirked slightly. "Well, if that's what you thought, you were wrong. And I'm going to make sure you fulfill your end of the bargain." With that, the room started to fill up with a shimmering blue gas. "The doors are locked. You won't be getting out under your own steam, so just make it easier on yourself and have a seat before you fall down."

Noh just glared at her before, just to satisfy the need, he put all five of the nails on his right hand through the screen so he wouldn't have to see her. In a flash, he was at the door, trying to break through the lock — but as she said, it was bolted shut and reinforced against even enhanced strength, and the room was airtight, considering the gas. He tried everything from kicking to throwing his shoulder against it to trying to blow up the locks with his nails... to just trying to pull it off its hinges. But despite it all — he slumped down to the floor at last.

When Noh woke up again, he almost thought that he hadn't — that he was dreaming. He recognized where he was instantly, and the full panic seized him before he'd even fully shaken off the effects of the gas.

This was the Cube. He'd spent months in this place, and he'd know it anywhere. When he had been running it, he had tried to change it to be a sanctuary — but now it looked almost exactly as it had when he was a prisoner, right down to the chamber where the warden would conduct his experiments in torture just down the hall, the door open — strategically, Noh was sure — so that he could see the full-body restraints and other tools that already had him closing his eyes against the memory of what had been done to him here. He had even been placed in the same cell as before, close to the warden — a place of honor for the man's "pet project" until he grew tired of the Kree fighter.

This ... was not good.

He shook his head and pushed himself to his feet, looking around, taking in his surroundings, trying to think… Jubilee wouldn't know to look for him here, nor would any of the X-Men. And his comms were gone… But he knew from experience that until someone came to remove him from the cell, he was stuck there. The walls were reinforced. The energy crackling through the doors had specifically been designed to put enhanced aliens like himself on the ground if they attempted to break through.

He let out a growl of frustration and hit the wall with the side of his fist so hard that it would have left at _least_ a large dent if the walls were any weaker, swearing in Kree under his breath. "I should have razed this place to the ground rather than take it over," he muttered. "And I will — the moment I get out of this."

He muttered out a few more threats, but when there was no response in the dim light of the Cube, he finally just had to sit down and lean back against the wall, his eyes closed as he just… waited, half-expecting the warden to show up, even though Noh had been sure to kill that man.

But there was nothing. Nothing at all. Not for a good, long time.

It had been, by Noh's count, exactly 47 hours and 32 minutes when someone finally showed up. He had nothing to do but count, and he would rather be aware of time than to lose track of it, when it was so easy to do so in the Cube. Though he wasn't sure what time it had been when he first woke up — so he couldn't know how much time had passed since he left the mansion.

He heard the footsteps coming down toward his cell long before he saw any sign of them, and he already had his nails done in claws and his every muscle poised to spring by the time Maria Hill arrived, looking smug.

"Are you ready to get to work, or should I come back in a few weeks?" Hill asked. She was far enough back from the door that even if he could have broken through the energy barrier, Noh couldn't reach her, her arms crossed as she smirked at him.

Noh glared at her. "This is a prison for _criminals._ You cannot keep me here," he half snarled.

"I can and I will — unless you're going to do this the easy way." She tipped her head to one of the assistants, who stepped forward with a cuff that matched the one that he'd gotten from Brand almost exactly. "Matching set — or at least to the naked eye."

"I doubt this was made in Hala," Noh said, eyeing the band with distaste.

"It wasn't," Hill admitted. "But you're going to wear it just the same. If you want out of here, that is."

He glared at her again, arms crossed. "Captivity is the same no matter the size of the cage," he said. "Or its location."

"I suppose in a philosophical light, that's entirely true. However, you might want to consider a few other issues that you may have overlooked." Hill tried to sound reasonable as she relaxed her posture. "You are aware that all of the mutants on this planet are required to be registered. And that those that have slipped through that safety net are in violation of several laws meant to protect this planet."

"I was here when that was decided, yes," Noh said with narrowed eyes. "I had other things on my mind at the time." He gestured around himself at the cell, which had been his home during the registration fight, rather than give any other explanation.

"Yes, I'm sure you did," Hill replied almost conversationally. "But there is a certain resident of 1407 Greymalkin Lane that, frankly, is _not_ registered. It would be a shame if this ... former vampire found herself imprisoned at an undisclosed location for failure to comply." She waved her hand. "Clearing those charges can take years, too, while we determine what the extent of their abilities are. Particularly if they're experiencing a secondary mutation."

Noh stiffened and leaned forward despite his best efforts. "If you touch her — or harm her in any way—"

"You won't do a thing about it because you'll be here, and anyone there that tried to stop us would find themselves in a cell with her," Hill replied coolly, though something like a smile was pulling at the corner of her mouth as it was clear she knew she had Noh backed in a corner.

Noh paced a small path in his cell, fuming as he ran both hands over his face. "And _if_ I bargain with you — what will you do about Jubilee?" he asked at last, the fury barely checked in his tone as he tried to sound reasonable.

"We'll send her the forms and notify her that she 'forgot' to register when she got her abilities back," she said with a tight smile. "A simple matter of paperwork."

He sat down for a moment, one hand on the bridge of his nose as he simply couldn't bring himself to look at Hill. "Then … I will bargain," he said, slowly and carefully. " _After_ you give your word of honor that she will not be harmed."

"Of course," Hill said soothingly, and even though she was being sincere, it was still hard to swallow. Her assistant stepped up to the door as she added, "Along with the band is the file of your next assignment — an infiltrate-and-decimate on a lab in Mongolia"

He didn't look up at her. "Then let's get it over with, shall we?"

* * *

It had been a few weeks of settling into classes, and Annie really felt like she was getting the hang of teaching at the institute. But what was different about this particular school — besides the students themselves and the subject material — was the fact that the teachers were constantly meeting for training with each other as well.

She had known about the existence of the Danger Room for some time, since Scott took her on a tour of the house, but she had never actually been down there while a simulation was running. It just hadn't come up — either because she was with her family when a session was scheduled or because she was working on lesson plans… She just hadn't made it a priority.

But she was curious, and she knew there was a team exercise scheduled for that night, so she managed to convince Scott to let her watch from the booth so she could see the team in action during one of the simulations — and she wasn't disappointed at all.

Scott had them running a simulation against Magneto and his so-called Brotherhood, and Annie settled in to watch the team together, simply grinning to herself when she saw the way they were so comfortable with each other, teasing and prodding even while they fought — she had been right when she insisted that _this_ was Scott's family.

But when things in the sim got heavy — she was pleased to see how seamlessly the jokes faded off and they focused _so_ well. Wordlessly working as a unit — covering each other and filling gaps where they needed to be filled.

Kurt was teleporting left and right, attacking bad guys and moving teammates where they'd be most efficient. Kate was shooting anything that needed it — which seemed to be just about everything even as Kurt would switch her vantage point between arrows. Bobby and Jubilee were an amazing little team that managed to simply take down their opponents with much smiling going on even if it was a serious looking job they were doing.

But Logan and Scott were just ... really _really_ on. Scott was taking those further out while Logan covered anyone trying to get too close to him — and the two of them were working their way through their section of danger at an incredible rate. When it got too thick, Scott made the call to the team as a whole to drop using their abilities and go hand-to-hand — and then it really got interesting.

Logan and Scott working back-to-back was every bit as efficient as they had been moments before with lasers and claws, though they were switching positions much faster and the opponents were clearly more often knocked out than eviscerated — though the way some of them shimmered out of the sim had Annie wondering how hard they were hitting the bad guys.

The team kept it up until the room was cleared, and Scott looked entirely pleased with the whole exercise. "Really excellent work today, guys," he said with a grin. "Bobby — that was a nice move flinging Jubilee back there. And Kurt, that third sword — I think that's the best I've seen on the triple wield."

"Had to be in top form when he was introducing me to Sim-Mom," Kate teased.

"That was a lot nicer than she really is," Logan told her. "At least — after the first half of the sim was over."

Kate stuck her tongue out at Logan as she pushed her headband back. "How am I ever going to get to know his family if you just keep stabbing them?" she laughed.

"Read their criminal records," Logan suggested with a shrug.

"And you really don't want to meet them in person anyway," Kurt pointed out.

"This is true," she admitted. "But what kind of girlfriend would I be if I let that _beautiful_ teasing opportunity pass me by?" She bounded over to Kurt to kiss his cheek. "I like your blue better than hers. It's deeper."

"Careful, someone might think that your favorite color isn't purple anymore," Kurt replied with a grin.

"Well, maybe blue's growing on me," she said with a sly smile. "I think I'm starting to like it."

"How do you two even find the time to train at the rate you go?" Scott asked, shaking his head at the pair of them as Annie came bounding down from the booth.

"Don't review the tapes, Slim," Logan advised quietly. "For your own good."

Scott raised an eyebrow at that, but before he could say anything, Annie had hugged him around the middle. "I've never gotten to see you in action with the whole team!" she gushed before she planted a kiss on his cheek. "I should come down for training more often. That was amazing!"

"You picked a good day to come," Scott told her. "It's not always this seamless."

Logan half snorted to himself at that and simply headed out before he got drawn into any conversations, sure to skew Kate's headband on his way past her — and she stuck her tongue out at him.

"Well, I must just be lucky," Annie said with a soft smile as she grabbed Scott by the hand.

"You never know," Scott said thoughtfully, a smirk pulling at the corner of his mouth as he pulled her in a little closer. "Maybe knowing you were watching helped keep them on their best behavior."

Kate laughed and saluted Annie with two fingers. "That's right — gotta impress Mrs. Boss."

Annie just laughed when Scott flushed slightly. "Well, color me impressed," she said warmly. Then, grinning wider, she added. "Now, come on. You all smell _horrible_. You, mister, need a shower," she told Scott, pulling him along by the hand as the other X-Men just chuckled at his expression.

"Sure it's not Mr. Boss and the boss-lady?" Bobby whispered to Jubilee with a smirk.

"Either way, she ranks higher than you do, popsicle," Jubilee replied with a little smile, though she wasn't her usual chipper self.

He just shrugged back at her. "Maybe. But I'm wondering if one of them would pack cookies in our bags for long missions if we're really nice to her."

"Oh, I'm sure of it," Jubilee said with a wide eyed nod. "You should plant that seed when she's in a good mood."

"So — not when she's actually _making_ cookies," Bobby surmised.

"No. Just like ... mention how long the trips are? And how miserable it is with whatever crap we have on board to eat. She'll pack like, six weeks worth of cookies and banana bread before you turn around."

"Evil genius," Bobby grinned.

"You sound like you're surprised, somehow," Jubilee said as she tipped her head back a bit. "So surprised."

"I've been brushing up on my acting skills," Bobby teased. "Not surprised by you and evil cookie plans at _all_."

"Whatever, I'm hitting the showers while you go work on your sad 'I need cookies' face," Jubilee said with a wave.

"Wonder if it would be too much to throw in a sad puppy whine," Bobby laughed.

"It might be — I'd say you'd get more traction if you just asked for her recipe," Jubilee suggested. "No way would anyone let you loose with the oven when you can't even boil water without setting off the smoke alarms."

Bobby just grinned, stuck his tongue out, and waved at her as the rest of the team split off to get changed and showered after the session in the Danger Room.

Jubilee spent a _long_ time in her shower, and when she stepped out of the bathroom in her towel with her hair dried and a little frown on, she very nearly let out a squeak as she spotted Noh looking pitiful waiting for her, though he looked up at her with a small smile as he held out the box of chocolate-glazed donuts he'd brought as an apology.

"Sorry to be gone for so long. I wasn't anticipating such a ... lengthy trip," he said quietly.

She crossed the room in three steps to nearly tackle him as she hugged him and kissed his cheek. "I'm just glad you're here," she nearly whispered as she squeezed him.

He hugged her back, nestling his face into her hair. "I missed you," he told her in a low tone.

"I missed you too," she replied, grinning at him when he loosened his grip enough for her to look at him properly.

He very tenderly kissed her on the forehead. "You'll have to tell me what I missed in my absence," he said. "In this business of ours, so much can happen so quickly — did you fight any invasions? Anything of note?"

"No, we save that for you," she said before she kissed him properly. "Just normal X-Man nonsense. Little rescue missions. Political standoffs. Gymnastics classes. Nothing fun."

"Political standoffs?" Noh repeated with a raised eyebrow.

She waved her hand. "Same old, same old," she said. "Politicians pushing for more regulations. Scott looking serious and fighting for our sake alongside Captain America."

He nodded thoughtfully and just held her a bit tighter. "Yes, well, those can be dangerous fights. I seem to recall the whole business of regulation and registration taking a toll while I was still learning about Earth. It was not a good introduction to your government."

"Sorry about that," she said, looking like she somehow had a hand in it herself with the properly guilty look she pulled off. "Government sucks."

"Yes, that seems to be an interplanetary theme," he agreed before he just nestled in deeper into her hair and sighed. "Though on Hala there was not nearly so much paperwork."

"So you must somehow manage without bureaucrats. Amazing."

"Oh, we still have them," Noh laughed. "Though it seems we were much more streamlined under the Supreme Intelligence."

"Very likely," Jubilee agreed. She snuggled into him a little deeper for a moment before she glanced up at him. "So — you're back from some horrible, dreadful thing, I'm sure. Is this a pancake celebration, or was it a terrible loss that I need to console you over?"

He sighed. "It was… a mission. Honestly, Jubilee, I don't think pancakes or consolation would be appropriate."

"Then ... we need to turn on some music and figure out something to cheer you up."

He smiled quietly at her. " _You_ cheer me up, Jubilee. I'd just like to stay here with you and do whatever it is you would like to do."

"Well," she said with a little sigh. "It's a little bit cold in here. I could use a blanket and a very tall, handsome teddy bear."

"Your wish is my command," he said as he grinned and swept her up to carry her off. "Blankets and cuddles it is."


	8. Logan's Girls Club

**Notes from robbie: *puts on Scott Defense Squad President hat* Yeah, Marvel has been incredibly stupid with my favorite X-Man. I don't know if it's a case of the writers straight up admitting they don't *like* Scott (which is the case far too often for my tastes *glares at Marvel* why would you give a writer a character that they have stated they don't LIKE that canNOT end well) or if they just don't understand him or what, but we're writing him the way he SHOULD be written. I mean, this is the guy Logan literally describes as a "boy scout," and Marvel thinks he would be saying/doing the things they're putting out? NO.**

 **I agree heartily, Scruffy, that the two of them together are an amazing, amazing team, though I disagree that people who get along don't make for an interesting read. (See: our golden trio of Kate, Kurt, and Logan.) You don't gotta screw up characters and make them stupid just to find interesting storylines, Marvel. *pats Scott's head* You can have him back when you understand how to write your own characters, Marvel.**

 **And yes, that *incredibly stupid* storyline is thankfully NOT 616, but since we're picking and choosing our canon, we thought we'd just state outright that the stupid is NOT with us ;) This isn't a 616 "alternate timeline" (so, no, griezz, no divergence point). It's a whole different universe entirely. It's based heavily on the 616, of course, but we're ignoring pretty much everything from the "All New, All Stupid" Marvel (except for Kamala and Miles because we heart them) and also a whole lot of other stupid from the 616 and any other universe. We're just cherry-picking… which probably explains why our characters (like Scott) are less obnoxious than Marvel has written them :P**

 _ **CC is just next to robbie right now :**_ " **PREACH, sistah. PREACH." ALSO .. and totally unrelated, if you read our contributions to The Freelancer Collaboration's 'In The End, You Always Kneel' the two of us (geniuses that we are) made our very own sequel on a JOINT profile. PLEASE. Go take a peek at 'There Will Be No Kneeling' on TeamAwesomeLives. It's our OTHER baby. And we love it.**

* * *

" **Logan's Girls Club"**

* * *

The next morning, it was still dark outside when Noh crept down to the kitchen to grab plenty of food. Unlike Logan, he needed food to fuel his healing _before_ he could heal, and he didn't want to worry Jubilee with how _much_ he needed it when she was already wary of comparisons to Wolverine.

It was early enough that he'd just slipped down in his pajama pants, barefoot, to make himself plenty of pancakes, and he was well into his first stack when he was surprised to hear footsteps coming down to the kitchen.

When he saw that it was Scott, he just smiled and nodded Scott's way. "You're up early," he said.

"This is when the coffee is still good — and available," Scott said with a soft smirk as he got a pot started.

"Yes, I see the wisdom in that," Noh said, nodding quietly.

"So, did you just get back?" Scott asked, leaning on the counter as he waited for the coffee. "Jubilee said you'd gone to do… something with SWORD?"

"I arrived last night," Noh said with a shrug, "and went right to Jubilee. I didn't mean to take so long, but some… past commitments have reared their ... ugly noses? Is that the phrase?"

"Faces, but close enough," Scott said, his head tilted to one side as he frowned Noh's way. "If you need some help—"

"It's not a concern for your team," Noh told him, cutting him off with a wave of his hand.

"Maybe not," Scott said as he set his mug down and really focused on Noh. "But you're kind of part of the group. Like it or not."

"I do enjoy it," Noh told him earnestly, turning his attention to Scott more fully. He hadn't realized that he was actually considered to be a member of the team, and he found himself smiling at the idea before he had even fully processed it.

"Are you familiar with the term 'family takes care of each other'?"

"I imagine it's similar to 'the Kree take care of their own'."

"Very," Scott said, nodding. He watched Noh for another long moment before he said, seriously, "Well, we take care of each other. Even if it's not a concern for the team."

"I appreciate the offer," Noh said. "Truly." He sighed as he finished off the last of the stack of pancakes and pulled a few more onto his plate. "I… hope you will not think too much of the change in subject, but I do have a pressing question for you," he said after a moment's pause.

"Anything you need," Scott replied as he went back to his coffee.

"When I was processing my records in SWORD," Noh said with a frown, "I… heard mention that aliens are not the only ones on your world who are so tightly regulated."

Scott frowned and nodded, a tight line to his mouth. "Yes, that's right."

"I don't recall hearing Jubilee ever speak about it. And ... considering how much trouble it has been for _me_ not to have gone through the proper channels…"

Scott tipped his head to the side for a moment as if he suddenly understood what Noh was getting at. "I don't know that we ever took care of that," Scott admitted. "I'll — I'll see to it that it's been done — or it will be. We really don't need to give SHIELD a reason to come knocking."

"Certainly not," Noh agreed with a relieved smile. "Thank you. I care for her, deeply and truly — and I don't like to think she might be in trouble for anything, even something as simple as overzealous bureaucrats."

"I'll have Logan check with Fury — skip the red tape all together," Scott said with a nod.

"That — frankly — is a relief to hear," Noh said, his shoulders relaxing substantially as he absently traced the pattern of the band on his arm. "Thank you, Scott."

"Anytime," Scott said with a tiny smirk before his brow furrowed and he half pointed with his coffee mug. "What's the story with the arm bands? Are they new?"

"Relatively," Noh said, a small frown crossing his face before he shook his head and slipped off Brand's Kree band to show it to Scott. "It's a present from home — from… a friend, I think."

"May I ask what it's for?" Scott said as he turned it over in his hands.

"Comfort." Noh smirked the slightest bit. "My people might not spend as much time in lavishing comforts on themselves as yours do, but this—" He tapped the band, which hummed slightly in Scott's hand the moment Noh touched it "—is a calming tool. It's psionic."

"And you haven't needed a calming tool until recently?" Scott asked quietly.

Noh's smirk died, and his expression fell as he tried to find the right way to respond to that. He let out a small sigh as he finally settled on, "I didn't _have_ one until recently. And then I acquired ... two."

"Funny how that works," Scott said, though he didn't point out that Noh sidestepped the question. Instead, he straightened up a bit and gave Noh a small smile. "Do you have a comm from us? Because I think _I'd_ be calmed a bit if you did. It would ease Jubilee's mind anyhow."

"I don't mean to worry her," Noh said as Scott handed him back the band and he slipped it back onto his arm, the psionic circuits immediately sensing his distress and sending their soothing hums through his body. "I know I've been out of contact recently."

"I don't believe it's you that's worrying her," Scott pointed out. "But she cares for you quite a bit too."

"And I her," Noh said quickly and earnestly. "She is — frankly astounding." He smiled as he took the band back from Scott and slid it onto his arm. "I'll be sure to spend more time with her — perhaps take her to ice cream. I'm told that is a good apology."

"You might do better to take Jubes out for noodles and dumplings, honestly. She manages enough sugar on her own, and," Scott said. "She misses them."

"Then that's what I will do," Noh said, starting to smile. "And I'll make sure I buy some supplies to keep on my ship as well. We're not always so close to Earth restaurants. Or within calling distance for takeout."

Scott smiled at that. "She loves it anyhow."

Noh nodded. "We share that in common," he said. "I came to this world as an explorer, and I still love to discover new things — especially with her." He stood up and went to the stove. "I'm making more pancakes — would you like any?"

"No thank you," Scott replied. "I'm going to just wait for Annie. We like to start the day together."

"That is a good tradition to have," Noh said as he poured in another few cups of pancake mix. "If I were to wait for Jubilee to wake up, though — I would never have breakfast."

"If you bring it up to her, she'll wake up faster," Scott told him.

Noh grinned at him. "You are full of good advice this morning, my friend. I think I will do just that."

The second round of pancakes were quickly devoured as Noh fed his healing body — but the third round went in careful stacks and had a few chocolate chips in the stack. By the time he had everything on a tray to bring up to Jubilee, a few others had come down to the kitchen, including Annie, who was grinning as she made a few omelettes beside Noh at the stove when she realized he was bringing Jubilee breakfast.

He slid into Jubilee's room with a wide smile and set the tray down on the bedside table as he climbed back under the covers to snuggle up next to her. "Jubilee," he whispered into her hair. "I have pancakes."

She smiled up at him sleepily. "You're so much sweeter though," she replied quietly.

"Some of the pancakes have chocolate chips in them, so that may not be true," he teased.

"Oh no, it's still true. Even if they were drenched in maple syrup and covered in sugar. You've got it beat."

"You are a biased judge," he told her as he gently kissed her cheek.

"Doesn't mean I'm wrong," she replied as she pulled him closer for a kiss.

He kissed her back, right into the pillows, grinning madly. "As long as you admit your bias," he teased in her ear.

"I'll admit just about anything you want if you keep up with the kisses."

"Careful making promises like that," he said, laughing quietly. "I used to be a criminal, you know."

"I don't care," she replied with a shrug.

"Well, that's good for the sake of my pride," he said as he just kissed her deeply, his hands in her hair and the pancakes forgotten until there was a high, whining sound.

He was sure she couldn't hear it, because she hadn't paused in the least, but he pulled back with a frown as the whining noise continued until he realized it was coming from the band and simply tapped it to acknowledge it — and it stopped.

She just smiled up at him when the kiss broke. "So what's the plan today, handsome?"

"I… don't have a plan beyond pancakes," he said with a frown, reaching absently across the bed for the communicator he'd brought from his ship.

"Well I'm pretty sure I could come up with something," Jubilee offered as she watched him carefully. "You know. If you want."

"I'd like nothing more," he told her distractedly, his attention on the coordinates in the message he'd just received rather than on her.

"But …"

He sighed. "But I have someplace to be," he told her, then leaned over to kiss her cheek. "I'm very sorry — I'll be as quick as I can."

"How much of this are they pushing for you to do?" Jubilee asked grumpily, her arms crossed over her chest. "Because it's screwing with your aim. You only got my cheek."

He smiled softly at that and kissed her properly. "Sorry about that," he said. "I was distracted."

"That's a bad sign," she said. She watched him for another long moment, her lips pushed out in half a pout before she had to ask, "How much time have you got before SWORD comes in and asks for us to kick their butt?"

"I'm going to them, not the other way around," he said as he sat up and looked around for his shirt.

"You know," Jubilee said thoughtfully. "You _are_ free to say no, too."

He just leaned over and kissed her cheek again — then paused, reconsidered, and kissed her fully for longer. "Enjoy the pancakes, Jubilee," he told her as he slid over to where the rest of his uniform was resting on the chair.

"Come back to me in one piece, or I will tear that woman limb from limb," Jubilee said. "I've done it before. I will do it again."

"Brand doesn't deserve your fury," he said as he slipped on his shoes.

"Then tell me who does," Jubilee replied. "I can even play charades if you're paranoid."

"Don't fret, Jubilee," he said, then kissed her forehead, now wearing his full uniform. "I'll see you soon."

"Oh, I'm not fretting," she promised, the color rising in her cheeks before she pulled him back down for one more kiss. "I'm preparing to kill someone."

"And you are at your most attractive on the warpath," he teased when the kiss broke.

"Hurry back, handsome."

* * *

"Keep your hands up," Logan said for the fourth or fifth time. "You're leaving yourself open still."

Kate raised her hands again and glared at him, panting a bit. They'd been doing hand-to-hand training for a while now, and she was starting to get tired, but no way was she going to admit that to Logan, not when he was finally promising to teach her more _cool_ things.

He nodded his head for her to attack again when a familiar voice echoed over the intercom.

"Hey. _That_ is not how you taught me," Natasha said as she and Clint arrived in the booth of the Danger Room. She had her arms crossed and her hip cocked to the side as she leaned against the controls, watching the training session with one eyebrow raised.

"You taught Natasha this stuff?" Kate asked.

"And more," Logan replied with a nod before he waved Natasha down. "Come show her how it's done. She ain't listenin' to me."

Natasha climbed down from the booth with a bit of a smirk before she faced Logan. The two of them squared off in the same form that Logan had been showing Kate, and the fight that followed was far more polished than what Kate had been doing — before, to Kate's surprise, Natasha flipped Logan and pinned him.

"You let me win," she accused him almost as soon as she let him up.

"Yes I did," he replied with a smile before she threw her arms around his neck with a grin and muttered something in Russian to him.

"See, I never get greetings like that. Even when we were dating," said Clint as he too joined them from the booth.

"Did you let her attack you?" Logan asked as the two of them shifted to one arm around each other as they faced the two Hawkeyes.

"No, I let her turn me to a life of crime," Clint said easily.

"Well, he tried to keep me out of it to start with," Natasha replied.

Clint smirked Logan's way. "Good job." He just chuckled to himself before he slipped over to where Kate was and pulled her into a hug — clearly not about to let Logan have all the fun.

"I didn't get too much time with her," Logan said with a nod. "Though I did try to save her from Von Strucker. She was a cute kid."

"And we all appreciate it," Clint said seriously. "Can't imagine life without the Black Widow."

Kate had to laugh at that and shake her head at Clint as she gave him another squeeze. "So what bring you to this part of town?"

"Figured we'd stop by and make sure you were all safe and sound," Clint teased right back. "You know — gotta look out for my Katie Kate and make good on my threat to Nightcrawler if I have to. You haven't been by the place in a while, and you know how Lucky worries."

"I'll have to stop by and visit Lucky more often, then," Kate chuckled. "You're right — _he's_ such a worrier."

"Hey, you never know. You could have been turned into a four-year-old or kidnapped in space or something. You're an X-Man now," Clint laughed.

Kate just rolled her eyes at him before she gave him a big hug again. She hadn't realized it, but it had actually been a while since she'd seen him, and she found that not only did she miss her old mentor but he just looked like he needed hugs, still in that post-breakup slump.

"We have a little news on your friend, Madame Masque," Natasha said, still smiling — which of course, immediately drew Kate's attention from Clint to Natasha.

"What kind of news?" Kate asked.

"Nothing too exciting," Natasha replied straight-faced. "Just a location and an itinerary."

Kate broke into a huge grin and held out one hand. "Gimmie."

"As soon as you show me you can do that take down," Natasha replied with a wicked grin, and Logan chuckled and gave Nat a quick kiss on the cheek.

"Oh, you — you're so on," Kate said, leveling her finger at Natasha before she turned her gaze to Logan. "Logan, stop laughing and fight me so I can get my itinerary."

"You got it," Logan replied as he stepped forward, still smiling. "So is that the key? Get Nat to come play a little with us?"

"If she keeps bringing me stuff like that? Invite her all the time," Kate said.

"I can just come and compete with you if he wants to show me some new tricks," Natasha offered.

"And what if I don't want to share my Wolverine?" Kate teased.

"He was mine first," Natasha shot back with a wide smile.

"So now it's my turn," Kate reasoned, starting to laugh.

"Or," Logan broke in. "We can bring in Jubes, and we can _really_ get competitive with everyone."

"That's… actually not a bad idea," Kate said, pausing slightly as she considered it. "She's been mopey lately with Noh gone."

"When she's not coming down to fight with me, yeah. I've noticed," Logan said, though he was already settled into his stance and gave her a pointed look. "But now? Why don't you just quit yappin' and bring it?"

"Consider it brought," Kate said with a grin, squaring off against Logan with a confident swagger that quickly turned into annoyance when she didn't get the takedown the first try.

"You can do it," Logan urged. "Think about that itinerary."

Kate just smirked and came back at him — this time managing the move. It wasn't as elegant as Natasha's had been, but she was still grinning when she offered her hand to Logan to help him back up.

"You gave it to her, too," Natasha pointed out.

"Shut up and give her the intel," Logan shot back.

Kate held out her hand cajolingly, and Natasha just smirked and handed her the flash drive with the information and Clint gave both Natasha and Logan a look that clearly read ' _you let him get away with that?'_

"Thank you very much," Kate said with a bit of a bounce in her step. Kate had just pocketed the drive when the familiar _bamf_ sounded right behind her, and then shortly thereafter, several more echoed the room. She spun to see Kurt grinning at her seconds before he swept her up in a kiss.

"And thus ends my final class of the week," he said with a smile. "Tell me, _frauline_ , do you have any plans for the weekend yet?"

"Actually," Kate said, getting Kurt to raise both eyebrows. "I just might have an idea or two."

"Is this something you prefer to do with Clint and Nat?" Kurt asked as he looked over at the two new faces. One little bamf was staring up at Natasha with a sloppy grin on his face, and Kate was sure that he was blushing slightly.

"They can come if they want," Kate allowed as she looked over at the two Avengers. "But you should totally come too. No fun without you."

"We'll come along and make sure you two actually get around to finding Madame Masque," Natasha said with a little smirk as she crouched down to boop the little blushing bamf on the nose. "I've heard stories about what happens when you two are left alone."

"I don't know what you're talking about," Kate said. "We're perfect little angels."

"Sure you are," Clint said. He slipped an arm around her shoulders and smirked her way. "Don't think of us as chaperones. Think of us as… actually, yeah, we're chaperones."

Kate just rolled her eyes at him and batted him away. "We don't _need_ …" She shook her head at him. "You're an idiot."

"Yeah, I am," he agreed without hesitation.

"So — where are we going?" Kurt asked, stealing Kate back from underneath Clint's arm with a little smile.

"Cairo," Natasha said as one of the bamfs flitted near her shoulder with a look of intense interest until she bared her teeth at him and he broke into giggles.

"Lovely," Kurt said with a little nod before he made it a point to kiss Kate again. "Perhaps when we're done with whatever it is you have planned, we can take in the sights just the two of us," he whispered to her, grinning into her hair.

"I'm so there," she replied, returning the kiss and hooking her arms around his neck, which prompted him to just grin quietly and glance over at Clint and Natasha.

"We will meet you there when you're ready to leave," he said simply before the two of them disappeared in a burst of blue smoke.


	9. Where You Need To Be

**Notes: Scruffy - ahhh, okay. Yeah, it does get a little dull sometimes when it's all daisies and sunshine - though we like to think that depends on the sunshine and daisies. There's a few chapters a pure fluff in one of the later volumes that I can tell you right now are DRIPPING with 'fine and dandy' but you're right. We don't have it like that ALL the time. Gotta mix it up! (See: This chapter, for one thing.)**

 **From CC: Also though - really. What's the point of conflict if it never ever gets resolved? Most of the stuff they do in the comics is just an ongoing toddler fest of who is right and who is wrong and ZERO character growth. Asinine. I'm taking these characters (and Robbie is grabbing hers) and we're just running with them. TRY and stop me making them better. I dare you. You better bring a friend because you'll need the back up.**

* * *

 **Chapter 9:** " **Where You Need to Be"**

* * *

The four of them landed in Cairo a few hours later in civilian clothes, with Kurt wearing his inducer, so as not to tip of Masque or any of her cronies that they were coming.

On the way out, Kate had been sure to remind Kurt of the last time she'd seen Masque — and all the crazy that had happened in LA — on the flight, but once she'd given Kurt the basic overview, she was more interested in the fact that Natasha was _openly_ keeping an eye on Clint. She wasn't even pretending that wasn't what she was doing — which meant she'd been doing it for long enough that he'd stopped trying to fight her on it.

She was… honestly kind of glad it was Natasha and not her. She wasn't all that good at dealing with Clint when he was down and out, and — well. Kate had been _by_ Clint's place when she heard about the breakup with Jess, but… he had basically tried to act like it hadn't happened and then pouted, and Kate didn't have the patience for Clint pouting.

It wasn't that she wasn't sympathetic — it was just … he didn't come _out_ of it, no matter what Kate did. But Natasha — she was doing okay, getting responses. Getting him to smile, to be engaged. Maybe Kate would ask her what the secret was.

"Keep your heads down until we get closer to the tomb," Natasha advised as she slipped her arm through Clint's when they got off the plane. The two of them were already dressed as tourists, and Kate and Kurt looked convincing as a similarly touristy couple. "Masque isn't the only one interested in the alien tech they've unearthed."

Kurt gave the bamfs a few words in German, and they all seemed to nod in agreement before they made themselves scarce. They would follow — close enough to hear the little group if they were needed, but well-hidden enough that no one would spot them.

Sure enough, as the four heroes wove their way through the streets, they spotted the telltale green of a Hydra uniform in the crowd, as well as a few other suited men who had to be bodyguards of some kind to other big fish. There were definitely plenty of interested parties.

"How'd the leak even happen?" Clint muttered, shaking his head when he spotted another Hydra guy. "Don't those archeologists know better than to broadcast a find like this?"

"This is the age of the internet, old man," Kate pointed out with a smirk. "Try and keep up. Everyone with a selfie stick and a cell phone can find out half the world's secrets."

"And the other half of those secrets are — you know — stupid," Clint shot back with a smirk to match. "Like how many eyepatches Fury has in reserve."

"Betcha Logan knows," Kate laughed.

"I'm sure your new mentor knows all the secrets," Clint grumbled, and Natasha elbowed him in the side.

Kate looked back at Clint for a second and then slipped away from Kurt to just give her fellow Hawkeye a kiss on the side of his temple. "Aww, I still love ya big guy."

He just smirked softly at her for a second and pushed her back over to Kurt, who kissed her cheek and pulled her arm through his to cover her hand with his own. "It sounds like you have been neglecting the other Hawkeye," he teased.

"We'll just have to start bothering him more often," Kate said. "Make a concerted effort — seeing as the X-Men and Avengers run in weirdly different circles. For no reason." She just grinned at him and leaned into his shoulder.

"You know we can bother him any time. I don't mind popping by," Kurt teased, and she just smirked at him.

"Yeah, I'll have to visit Lucky more often," Kate agreed. " _He_ misses me."

They were nearly to the excavation site when Clint gave a little start of surprise — not because of any bad guys, but because he'd spotted someone he just hadn't expected.

"Um, what's Marvel Boy doing here?" he asked Kate as he and Natasha slid up to the other two. "I thought we were the only ones on this crazy train."

"That's what I thought, too," Kate said with a little frown as she followed Clint's line of sight — though she didn't see Noh. She didn't doubt Clint's word — it probably just meant Noh had ducked out of sight again. But if that was the case, why wouldn't Noh just come meet up with them if he was running the same case?

"I can send the bamfs to see what he's up to," Kurt offered under his breath. The bamfs seemed to reappear in an instant, and those nearest the four heroes all nodded their heads seriously, their little faces screwed up with concentration — and one of them had even stolen a pair of sunglasses and a dark fedora hat and was flipping a coin. "They seem to be up for the job."

As soon as the others nodded, the little bamfs disappeared, and the other four in the group made their way to the excavation site, picking their way carefully past some of the more unsavory types that were also interested in the dig.

Once they got there, Natasha chatted quickly with one of the archeologists, who looked like he was in charge, and the two traded words for a while in rapid-fire Arabic until he finally relented and waved them all through.

The little group followed one of the archeologists through the winding tunnels of the recently unearthed tomb, and even before they got to the main chamber, they could see the evidence of alien artifacts in the designs on the walls. The sharp angles and the unearthly patterns only seemed to grow more common the further down they got, and the group shared a look as their guide assured them they were nearly to the center of the dig.

When they entered the main room, the whole thing was fairly littered with what Kate quickly recognized as Kree technology. It gave off the slightest of hums, even buried all these centuries, and it seemed to be everywhere, laced in the sarcophagus itself, in the decorations, and even in the walls. Whoever had been buried here must have owned plenty of Kree tech, though it didn't quite look like they knew what it was, as it was more decorative than anything else.

"Well," Clint said with a shrug, "this would certainly explain the high interest level."

Kate just nodded before she turned her attention from looking around the main room to looking at the exits. "If Masque is here, this is where she'll end up — assuming she hasn't already been here…"

* * *

Far outside the tomb, in the streets of Cairo, one of the bamfs hovered right in front of Noh's face with his arms crossed and a deep frown in place as he very seriously questioned Noh with the most growly sounding 'bamf' he had ever heard.

"My little friend, I don't understand you," Noh told him as he tried to find a way around the little guy on the way to his checkpoint.

But he was persistent and just growled as he narrowed his eyes and let out a string of his single syllable demon cursing, waving his little hands in the air in frustration, his tail switching behind him irritably.

Noh sighed and shook his head, trying to decipher the talking-to — to no avail. "If you're here, then so must Nightcrawler be, yes?" he offered at last.

The little guy nodded his head decisively, his arms still crossed and his lip sticking out a bit.

"Then what do you want from me? I'm just leaving. I've already done what I set out to do."

The little bamf let out a heavy sigh and muttered to himself a bit, shaking his head before he reached out and patted him on the head very gently, still speaking in his little language, though he sounded a bit let down. He then motioned a bow and arrow and nodded with a broad smile.

"Kate's here too?"

The little bamf got much more enthusiastic and held up two fingers.

"Both Hawkeyes, then?"

The grin couldn't have gotten much bigger as the little bamf nodded happily and took Noh's hand to try and pull him toward the fun.

Noh paused, thinking it over. He'd already surveyed the technology in the tomb and had schematics for SWORD ... and he was meant to get back… but there was no reason he couldn't get a ride out of Cairo with his friends, was there?

"Where are they?" Noh asked the bamf with a significant wink.

The little imp giggled and teleported him right behind Kate and Kurt with a proud little presentation once he got there. All four of the other heroes were just emerging from the tomb after having combed the place for any sign of Madame Masque and her cronies, and they were chatting easily among themselves, even if Kate looked a bit disappointed that she hadn't been able to catch up with Masque.

"Oh, you didn't tell me about the Black Widow," Noh said with a small smirk at the little guy, who looked totally exasperated with him, as Kate spun around to grin at him in surprise.

"What the heck are you doing here?" Kate asked as she flung her arms around him in a hug. "Jubes said you were doing something for SWORD!"

Noh motioned toward the technology-laced tomb with one hand as he was holding her in a warm hug with the other. "I think this qualifies," he pointed out.

"Yeah, but — come say hi to us, you loser!" Kate said, shaking her head.

"I wasn't expecting company," he said. "I was on my way back."

"Well, stick around for a bit," Kate insisted.

"We're not here for the tech," Clint added with a little smirk. "So it's not a conflict of interest, right? This stuff's just the bait on our hook."

"And who is the prize catch?" Noh asked curiously.

Kate leaned forward with a conspiratory look. "Madame Masque," she said. "You know. My archnemesis."

"Your drama teacher boyfriend is rubbing off on you, Katie," Clint said, snorting the slightest bit.

Kate rolled her eyes at Clint. "Well, she _is_ ," she pointed out. "Mutual arson — archnemesis. It's like a science."

"It's very nearly a requirement to be on the team," Kurt said with a little laugh. "Several of us have more than one."

"Well, that's one X-Man tradition down," Kate said with a smirk. "Now I just need to time travel and I'll be set on the ones I actually _want_."

"You say that now," Kurt teased with an easy smile. "It's not all it's cracked up to be."

"You never know," Kate said, laughing. "It could be we get to go somewhere fun. Like the Old West. I bet I could kick cowboy butt."

"We try to avoid doing much fun in the past," Kurt told her. "You don't want to accidentally change anything."

"True. If I'm the queen of the cowboys, who's left to do the rest of the history?" she teased before she stepped in a little closer to slide her arms around Kurt's waist and added, "Though if we're trying not to affect history, that just means a whole lot of being hidden away somewhere and being very, very private."

"See? Just walking through the crowd and they still need a chaperone," Clint half-grumbled.

"I assure you, my friend, they need a chaperone just _existing_ in the same space as each other," Noh replied with a little laugh.

"Yeah?" Clint replied with a smirk. "I heard you need one while you're in the same zip code as the firecracker."

"Fortunately for me, I am far speedier than any chaperone they've thrown at me."

"That's not the kind of thing to brag about, buddy," Clint laughed.

"Oh, I meant for quick escapes. I do know how to take my time." Noh raised an eyebrow at him with a soft grin.

"Sure," Clint replied as he clapped a hand on Noh's shoulder. "I'll just have to take your word for it."

"I could show you," Noh said with a wicked smirk.

"As tempting as that might be? I think I'm a little afraid your little X-Man might burn my eyes out, and I need those." Clint was just chuckling to himself and looking to Natasha for a rescue, but she just put both hands up with a shrug.

"I can't help you on this one. You dug that hole all on your own," Natasha laughed.

"Noh, stop flirting with Clint," Kate called out, finally looking away from Kurt to bail out her old mentor and former teammate. "He's on the rebound, and I'd hate for you to get your heart broken."

"I'm content with the woman I have," Noh assured her with a laugh. "Besides, I have _terrible_ luck with Hawkeyes."

"And this one's blonde," Kate added, still chuckling. "So not your type."

"And what, exactly, is my type?" Noh asked with a raised eyebrow.

Kate got a huge smirk on her face and was clearly just about to tell him exactly what his 'type' entailed when, out of seemingly nowhere, two shots rang out.

In an instant, the group had drawn weapons, though Clint looked over to Kate on instinct to make sure she was alright and simply lost his cool when he saw that she was splattered with blood. " _Kate_!" he shouted as he sprang forward — though he stopped from outright grabbing her up to get her out of there when Kurt's image inducer flickered beside Kate ... and then gave out entirely as the now-blue and furry X-Man sank to his knees.

Kate screamed out and rushed to try and catch Kurt, sinking down with him as she looked over his bleeding shoulder and chest as another shot rang over her head — just where she had been. She glanced up quickly to lock gazes, just for a moment, with Madame Masque before Clint took a shot at her and Masque's guards opened fire as well, closing ranks around the woman.

Natasha quickly returned fire with both sidearms, looking entirely displeased with not only Masque but her rather impressive number of guards as she stalked toward them, eyes locked onto her target beyond the bellboy uniforms. Noh quickly took up a position to join her — and the bamfs erupted around the area with growls as they simply took to dismantling anyone that looked like they were pulling a weapon on their big brother or the purple pretzel lady.

The crowd around them fell into a total pandemonium as civilians and those no longer interested in the auction nearby simply tried to flee the scene while Natasha, Noh, and Clint tried to take out anyone that was considering the couple in the sand. Clint was closest, nearly on top of the two of them as he watched every angle and occasionally let an arrow fly only to have another on the bowstring before anyone could even see him moving. His gaze was furious, and he was clearly ready to tear apart the world for Kate and Kurt.

On the ground, one of the little bamfs was up in Kurt's face, looking him over very carefully before he turned to Kate and started jabbering at her quickly.

"I know, I know," she muttered at the bamf as she knelt in the sand by Kurt and ran her hands over his chest, trying to staunch the bleeding. "I can't just 'port him like you can."

The little bamf growled in frustration at being not quite understood and simply grabbed a hold of Kurt's shirt and Kate's hand before he simply teleported them right into Hank's medical bay.

" _Hank!_ " Kate shouted at the top of her lungs as soon as she saw where they were., and Dr. McCoy was on top of them in an instant, no smart comment or cute little phrase as he simply scooped up Kurt and took him to a better lit area to just get to work.

Kate was right behind him in a fitful state — with the little bamf on her shoulder wearing an identical expression. "We were — we were in Cairo — Madame Masque…." she gasped out in an attempted explanation.

Hank glanced up at her from time to time as he rushed to check out Kurt's vitals and start him on about a half a dozen medications to stabilize him, using three limbs at a time to move equipment and do the prep work all on his own. "He's likely going to need surgery," Hank told her in as kind a tone as he could while he was hurrying through his lab. "So you'll have to step out while I get to work. Unfortunately, the bullets won't remove themselves."

At that, Kate just stopped and sat in the nearest chair, her eyes wide. "Just… just —"

"I'm not going to allow him to slip away if that's your concern," Hank assured her, though she hadn't heard him use that tone before.

"You better not," she finally managed at a near whisper as she just leaned back in the chair, and the little bamf started to pace a trail in the air beside her.

It wasn't long after that when the rest of their little party showed up, in a mad rush to find Kurt and Kate, and the rest of the bamfs all looked concerned as Hank whipped out the surgical drape. Half of them were hovering near him — but just out of the way so as not to get in the way of the fuzzy doctor's attempts to save their big brother — and the other half were hovering near Kate, who was only not crying because she was still simply so shocked.

Kurt had just … always seemed so untouchable to her. She'd seen him hurt, captured even — but this? Staring at a surgical drape with her boyfriend's blood on her face? It had shaken her.

Clint took one look at what was going on and went straight to Kate, while Natasha and Noh were left to deal with worried, pacing bamfs as best they could. "C'mon, Katie. There's a better seat over this way," he told her as he more or less picked her up out of the chair and just bodily removed her from where Hank needed the space. He'd been in enough hospitals to recognize the look on Hank's face that it was a pretty serious hurt.

Clint set Kate back down not too far away and settled into the nearest spot next to her, crouched down so he could see her. "You worry this much when I get busted up?" he teased her lightly, which was enough to get her to pull a face, though that didn't last long.

The bamfs were all in varying stages of agitated, a few of them pacing, some of them peeking over the top of the surgical drape — though Natasha and Noh were doing their level best to keep them out of Hank's way — and others simply piled into the chair next to Kate, with a couple of them in her lap, snuggling into her with a tail wrapped around her wrist.

With a little poof just outside the medical wing's doors, Logan arrived, looking entirely serious as he just breezed by the gathered group and started to remove things from the cooler that Clint quickly identified as units of blood before he stepped behind the curtain with Hank and the two of them got working, though little was said between the two of them outside of Hank double-checking that Logan had grabbed the proper supplies while Logan started up the lines.

Once Hank was well on his way, Logan stepped back out to give him room to work. "Who was the shooter?" he asked the group at large.

"Masque," Kate said in a voice that was more a low growl than anything else.

Logan watched her for a moment and stepped off to the side to return with a few supplies that he simply started to use to clean up the blood on Kate's face as Clint moved aside to let him work, still keeping an eye on Kate. "You okay?"

"She didn't hit me," Kate said, though she'd yet to remove her gaze from where Hank was.

"Yeah, I see that," Logan replied as he tipped her head sideways to make a more careful inspection. "But that's not what I asked."

"Is Kurt — is he going to be alright?" Kate asked instead of answering his question.

"He'll be fine. Mostly blood loss. Hit a pretty important artery," Logan replied. "Damage isn't too bad, though."

"Then I'll be okay when he's okay," Kate said decidedly.

Logan gave her a little smile at that. "I pulled out twice as much blood as they needed, nothing to worry about."

She just nodded very carefully and finally pulled her gaze away from the surgery area to look at him. "It was Masque," she said. "She was gunning for me."

"Well, we'll just have to fix that then, won't we?" Logan asked carefully before he looked to the other three. "You guys get pulled away in the middle of the fun?"

"That's about the sum of it," Clint agreed. "Bamfs seemed to think we needed to be here."

Logan nodded and turned to the bamfs. "Take them where they're supposed to be. The Elf'll be fine."

A few of the bamfs looked reluctant to listen until Logan growled at them and they split off, though the one near Clint just nodded his head and patted his knee — clearly content to let Clint stay right beside the other Hawkeye. The one nearest Nat just took her hand and pulled her closer to Clint. And the one nearest Noh very carefully and seriously straightened out his hair, giggled, and teleported him away… only for Noh to walk in ten minutes later, shaking his head with color on his cheeks.

"I need to be elsewhere, but they took me to the middle of Jubilee's gymnastics class," he said almost at a whisper.

"So explain it a little to them," Logan replied, though he was shaking his head at the expression on Natasha's face — somewhere between amusement and a serious desire to help the bamfs make their message a little more obvious. He gave her a little look before he turned to Noh. "Or — promise that you'll be back where they say you should be when you're done."

Noh nodded and crouched down next to the nearest little bamf. "I need to be back where you found me, my friends," he said in the most patient tone he could manage when he was still clearly a little flustered. "I was on my way back here, but I had one last stop to make. Just the one, I promise."

The bamf crossed his arms and cocked his hip, his little chin dropped nearly to his chest as he clearly gave Noh a look that read 'SURE'.

"I give you my word: any delay will not be my doing," Noh said sincerely. "I am as eager to see Jubilee as you are to see me with her, but I was not done with my obligations when I left."

The bamf let out a breath, not unlike a teenager troubled with having to do _anything,_ before he took Noh's hand and teleported him back to the scene of the crime so he could deal with his "obligations."

Those left in the medical wing didn't have long to wait after that — though to Kate it felt like an eternity — before, finally, Hank stepped back around the curtain with a soft smile. "He is resting. He should wake up within the hour, though he will be a bit dopey."

Kate ran to Hank and wrapped him in a hug filled with pure relief. "Dopey's fine. I like alive, dopey Kurt."

"Well I'm afraid you haven't seen him yet under the influence of opioids, but yes, it is preferable."

"I don't care," Kate told him frankly, still hugging him. "He could be angry when he's drugged up, and I wouldn't care."

"You're free to take a seat nearer to him, if you'd like," Hank offered.

"Like you even have to ask," Kate said as she rushed to drag the nearest chair over and plopped herself down, while Clint shared a significant look with Natasha behind her. Neither of them said anything, but the understanding was clear.

Logan pulled Natasha aside, and the two shared a very quiet word before he simply left the medical wing entirely. She dropped herself into a seat near the two Hawkeyes and almost immediately found a little bamf climbing onto her shoulder with a flirtatious sort of 'bamf' that got a smirk out of her.

After that, tt was almost another forty five minutes before Kurt started to come around, his eyes rolling in his head until he finally turned his head toward Kate with a very crooked tiny smirk.

"Welcome back, _Engelchen_ ," Kate whispered.

"Who are you talking to?" Kurt asked with a bit of a slur.

"You, you ridiculous elf. You nearly gave me gray hairs, and I am still in my _twenties_ , Kurt. My twenties."

"You would look distinguished anyhow," he said with a smile.

She just laughed at him and kissed his cheek, and then the tip of his nose ... and then just started to pepper him with kisses.

" _Geliebte,"_ he whispered quietly. "We have an audience."

"They can leave," she whispered back as Clint and Natasha just shared a look and slipped out.

He grinned at her and moved over to make room for her to climb up with him as he waved for her to join him. "Get over here," he said quietly. "There is space."

She just climbed in with a smile and went right back to kissing him, completely undeterred. "If you do that to me again, I'll kill you myself," she whispered when she finally took a breath.

"Oh, don't do that," he said seriously. "That's terrible."

"Then how do you suggest I keep you from giving me heart failure before I'm even your age?" she asked, nuzzling very carefully into the side that Hank hadn't been operating on.

He looked positively mystified for a moment. "I have no idea."

"Well you'd better figure something out," Kate told him. "Because I'd like to stick around for a while, and I can't do that if you kill me dead."

"I would never kill you," Kurt said seriously before he gave her a very tender kiss on the forehead.

"I know you wouldn't, sweetheart," she said with a little smile. "You just scared the crap out of me."

"I am very very sorry," he said with his eyes drifting closed. "I clearly didn't know what I was doing."

She just laid down next to him in the pillows and smiled at him. "Clearly," she said as he started to drift off again, and she made herself comfortable to stay there.

* * *

Jubilee was furious. It had been a whole. Freakin'. _Week_. A whole week since her cute little be-bopper had popped up in her gymnastics class only to sheepishly smile and promise to see her 'very soon'. That was the phrase he'd used. "Very soon," Jubilee muttered under her breath as sparks flew from her fingertips.

To anyone outside of the loop, it was clear that she was angry with Noh — but that was definitely not the case. Not when she knew he was being pulled on puppet strings. Not when she could potentially hurt someone far more deserving and still get her sugar. And definitely not when she knew he wasn't going along with whatever the heck this was _willingly_.

She'd had enough time between the little moments they'd stolen together to have figured out a way to get her sparkly butt up to the SWORD station orbiting the earth and snatch up Ms. Abigail Brand by her stupid ponytail and beat her down. She'd worked out _all_ the details. Every one of them. Her back ups had back ups. All she needed now was a way to talk Logan into joining her since ... well. She never did figure out how to tell when someone as stoic as Brand was lying. But that was _all_ she needed him for.

But some of the wind left her sails when she got to her room and saw Noh there — just sound asleep under the covers like nothing was wrong and he hadn't been gone for a frikkin' _week_.

She let out a huff as she crossed her arms over her chest and tried to decide the best way to approach the problem. But then Noh simply let out a sigh in his sleep and she narrowed her eyes for a moment only to kick her shoes off and quickly change to slip in next to him. She slid down a bit at his side and tried to snuggle in, but when he cringed a bit and made a tiny pained sound, all that rage just came flooding back.

She found herself with her eyes closed trying to slowly count to rein herself in before she hit something. She was nearly shaking.

Noh stirred slightly next to her and peered at her for a moment. "What's wrong, Jubilee?" he asked tiredly.

"You tell me. How bad is it?" she asked quietly before she finally opened her eyes again.

"Not nearly as bad as when I had a hand fused to my chest," Noh tried to joke, watching her with one eye open.

"Noh-Varr," she said at a low tone. "Come clean. How. Bad."

He sighed. "Bad enough," he admitted at last.

"What wretched, soon to be dead _moron_ did this to you?" She paused and allowed a tiny smirk. "Or allowed this to happen to you."

He just reached over to rest his arm over her. "I'll be fine with a little time and plenty of food," he said quietly. "Don't worry."

She let out a heavy sigh and kissed him very very gently. "You need to let me help you too," she said at just over a whisper.

"You are helping," he promised. "This is my favorite part of my schedule — the part where I come home to you."

"But I can't love on you when you're like this," she replied with wide eyes. "All I can do is watch you hurt."

He seemed to consider this for a moment before he closed his eyes, and she thought he might have drifted back asleep before he opened them again and just pulled her tight, snuggling into her hair and kissing her neck as he held her close, not wincing or making the slightest sound.

She frowned and tried to fight back the tears, but she knew what he was doing and she just … "What do you think you're doing to yourself?"

He nuzzled into her neck. "You were upset," he explained. "And it's really a simple trick."

"That hurts you more."

He just started to kiss her neck tenderly. "I heal," he told her quietly. "And I've worried you. Let me make it up to you."

She pulled back just slightly and tried to get him to look her in the face. "Turn it back on and let me take care of you if you insist on not letting me _actually_ help you. Please."

He let out a breath as he finally met her gaze. "I can turn it on again in the morning," he offered.

She just shook her head slowly. "I don't want to make it worse, even on accident. Even if you do heal."

He considered her for a long moment and, finally, let out a breath. It was like a switch had been flipped as she felt him tense beside her, but he'd at least done as she asked. "Perhaps… we should simply call your friend Henry," he suggested.

"I'll get him for you," she said with a nod. "Just stay put."

"Is that an order?" he asked with a soft, teasing smile.

"As if you'd listen," she replied before she just slipped out of bed and darted off, positively sparking at her fingertips the moment she was out the door.

It didn't take long for her to return with Henry, who looked a bit disturbed by what he was seeing. He went to work with a professional silence, though he gave the boy a glare that just seemed more serious as he checked him over.

"Two weeks," Henry said finally. "And I don't care who says otherwise. Two weeks."

"Perhaps you're miscalculating," Noh tried to argue. "I'm not a normal Kree."

"My dear boy," Henry replied with a bit of a growl. "I do _not_ miscalculate. Two. Weeks. Anything less than that will positively bring down the wrath of your lovely lady friend here — and she will have my blessings and my _help_ upon any poor unfortunate soul that has caused this malady. Doctor's orders."

Noh looked between Henry and Jubilee with slightly wide eyes. "You worry overmuch, my friends." He paused, and when both of them looked like they weren't going to let him off the hook, he let out a small sigh. "But I know the value of rest and food… Maybe I'll surprise you with a faster recovery," he tried to say with a small smile.

"That would be a miraculous turn around," Henry said dryly. "You didn't let yourself heal fully from your last fiasco before you went galavanting around and ended up like this."

"If there is anything I can do to speed the recovery along—" he said, frowning harder.

"But of course," Henry said nodding his head. "Rest. Eat if it helps you. And heal fully before you do something this ... reckless again."

"Right then." Noh frowned and then sighed. "I'll need to raid your food supplies, I'm afraid."

"Tell me what you want and I'll bring it to you," Jubilee promised.

"Anything will do as long as it is food," Noh told her with a tired wave.

"That is a terrible outlook on the world," she told him, shaking her head at the very thought.

"Then… if you are joining me, perhaps — noodles and dumplings?" he offered, trying to a smile.

"You … are kissing up."

"You asked me not to kiss you."

She couldn't help the smile that crept over her face at that. "I would be very mad right now if you hadn't butchered that expression in such an adorable fashion."

He grinned at her. "Well, at least I have that on my side."

"You have a lot on your side," she replied. "You just don't know it."

He smiled sedately at her and slid down to a more comfortable position. "I'm going to follow Dr. McCoy's orders now, but you are welcome to continue to lie to me in such a beautiful fashion."

"I'm not lying to you, silly boy. But I will go get you some dinner. Noodles tomorrow. There is Jambalaya tonight."

He just nodded. "That sounds perfect, Jubilee. Thank you." She smiled his way, though the bright light didn't quite reach her eyes as she headed out the door to bring him back something to kick-start his healing, but Henry didn't move.

In fact, he simply waited for a moment to listen and be sure that Jubilee was well out of earshot before he turned back to Noh. "I'm afraid that you didn't take my warning to heart, young man," Henry started out. "And I will not stand idly by while you drag her through this ridiculous waiting game — making her watch you dismantle yourself bit by bit while refusing to take the aid of the friends around you that have welcomed you into this place."

"That is not my intention," Noh promised, sitting up a little better as he gave the good doctor an openly earnest look. "I'm not trying to keep her out — I'm trying to keep her safe; you must believe that. She is my very world."

"And yet you choose to show it by tearing down _her_ world," Henry countered with a small glare. "I hate to repeat myself. So I won't. Just know that my promise from before stands, and you are wandering dangerously close to trouble."

Noh nodded quietly, straightening up even more under Henry's glare. "I swear to you — I _will not_ hurt her. Not if I can help it."

Henry let out a weary sigh. "If you can't see that's what you're doing already, then you're missing out on a larger part of things. If it was a physical hurt — you'd already be torn to shreds." Henry got to his feet and stretched out slightly before he turned his attention back to Noh. "I'd advise you to learn to think with your heart — not your tactical mind for once in your life. This is not yet a war zone, but it could easily be."

"And that is something I am doing my utmost to prevent."

"Then perhaps if you're trying to hold back something that serious, you should consider letting others in on whatever it is you're hiding. Something that serious will _not_ be kept secret for long." Henry didn't wait for Noh to think it over, knowing full well that the Kree warrior had no intentions to share his secret with anyone just yet. But as he reached the door, he did pause. "It's not as if we haven't fought wars here before. Just because the Avengers never cared to come to our aid, or to mourn our losses with us does not mean they didn't happen."

"Then let us hope there is never another one."

"My dear boy, that is both optimistic and absolutely naive."

Noh let out a little sigh. "Perhaps in this universe it is. There was no war in mine."

"And as you'd told me before, no freedom either." Hank gave him one last look. "Both are unacceptable." He paused again. "Two weeks. No excuses."


	10. Not The Mission Ending We Were Expecting

**Notes: Just… so… freakin' excited about this chapter. Can't even tell you why without spoilers. Just. Just go. Read it. Be free.**

* * *

 **Chapter 10:** " **Not the Mission Ending We Were Expecting"**

* * *

Kurt was still fairly doped up and sleeping that evening as Kate climbed up beside him after dinner. She was content to just curl up with him and Kamala's most recent chapters, her head on his uninjured shoulder and waiting for a few moments of conscious cutie as she read. That was how she'd been spending most of her time since he got shot anyway — only really leaving for food and coffee.

She was almost done with what she had printed out — with notes in the margins — when Scott came down to Hank's medical wing and had to smile when he saw how tucked in she was. She looked up at him with a wave and a smile and took the pen out of her mouth so she could grin properly. "He's asleep right now, but if you wait around, he'll start pointing out obvious things," she laughed.

"Yeah, I know how he gets," Scott replied with a little laugh. "But I actually came down here to talk to you. I know you're pretty comfortable right now, and things are … a little hard. But, I'm just getting ready to do a run, and it's … it's really perfect for you if you can break away for a little bit."

Kate tapped the pen against the side of her mouth as she thought it over. "Just a quick run?"

"Just have to zip out to Wyoming, check on one of our graduates from last year for a few minutes, since there's been a lot of Sentinel activity up that way," Scott replied. "If all goes according to plan, it shouldn't take more than a few hours."

Kate looked over at Kurt, who was still peacefully sleeping, and then threw her legs over the edge of the bed. "Right. Give me a few minutes to change, and I'll meet you in a bit."

"I'll be prepping in the hangar," Scott told her before he turned and walked out of the med lab.

She stacked the chapters with the little pile of things she'd accumulated on one of Hank's tables, gave Kurt a quick kiss on the forehead, and then rushed back to her room to grab her gear. Not ten minutes later, she was skidding into the hangar with a little grin on her face. She'd brought the quiver full of acid and exploding arrows as well as the usual kind — she was getting to the point where she had different ones set aside for different bad guys possibilities with this new team. And Sentinels meant acid and splodeys. For as stupid as she'd called Clint for his trick arrows… they were actually incredibly useful. Not that she would ever, _ever_ tell him that to his face.

She climbed into the jet still wearing the wide grin and slid into co-pilot. "Alright, boss man. Let's go to skiing country."

Scott just grinned at her and leaned over for a second, looking like he might remind her of something co-pilot related, but she gave him a _look_ and mouthed 'I will crash you,' and he decided against it.

The flight was an easy one, and like the previous blackbird, the new one had a habit of making record flights, which had Scott grinning at the speed — this flight had beat out the last trip to Wyoming by ten minutes. He didn't even try to hide it when they landed, and Kate gave him a look that just had him grinning wider.

"Didn't take you for a speed demon, boss man," she teased.

Scott just grinned and shrugged at her. "I like flying," he said as if that was all the answer she needed on that front.

The two of them made the quick trip to where the former Xavier's student was staying: a little bunkhouse near a ranch whose sign boasted backcountry hunting trips and cattle drives for tourists and intrepid adventurers. "He's been working with the tourists," Scott said. "All of it apparently has been very customer-service related."

"Sounds very boring," Kate said with a shrug. "But I guess whatever floats your boat."

"He wanted 'normal'."

Kate just snorted. "There's a joke to be made here about greener grass, and I'm trying really hard not to make it."

"Yeah, well. I think he's about tired of normal," Scott replied with a laugh. "Storm wanted me to talk to him about going to college. Use the Worthington Foundation grant and go ... I dunno. Become an editor or something."

"You brought me here to do a business deal?" she teased. "Looking to put him on the staff at the _incredibly biased_ pro-mutant publishing company?"

"Totally incidental," he laughed. "He was a literary genius, according to Storm."

"Well, if _she_ says that? I may just have to hire him," Kate chuckled.

"I'm not pushing for anything — I'm just making sure he's not in trouble and offering him a ride if he wants out," Scott defended.

Kate gave him a look for just a second and then smirked. "Boss man, I never said _you_ were pushing for anything."

"Would you not call me that?" Scott asked with a crooked smile.

She laughed out loud at him. "You'd have to stop being the boss first," she said, shaking her head before she just reached over and lightly punched his shoulder. "And don't stop doing that, by the way. Best boss I've ever had." She didn't tell him that she'd never actually had a boss — Eli and Nate were _not_ the leaders of the Young Avengers, and she was her own boss as a PI — but he didn't need to know that.

He snorted at that and shook his head. "Let's go see this kid, okay? You want to do the talking?"

She grinned and shrugged lightly. "Sure, why not? As long as you don't mind my stealing him for my own nefarious publishing purposes."

"If you want to snipe me, be my guest," he countered as he gestured for her to lead the way.

Kate just grinned and swept ahead of him into the bunkhouse, where the skinny-looking kid was lounging in a chair with his feet up reading a book during his break time. "Hiya!" Kate called out cheerfully to get his attention, and he looked her way and sat up a bit straighter. "How's life treating you? We thought we'd stop by."

"Did Ms. Munroe send you?" the kid asked as he got to his feet, watching them a bit warily.

"Yeah, you know, she misses her literary genius or something," Kate said with a grin that just kept widening.

He laughed a little and relaxed as he stepped forward and offered his hand. "Sorry, I'm a little bit on edge," he said. "Terry Rust."

"Kate Bishop." She shook his hand with a huge grin. "Might've seen me in the news, if you get news out here, with the whole Bishop Publishing v. JJ."

"Yeah, between smoke signals, we've managed to catch the pay per view brawl," he said with a little smile. "I've got my money on the little guy."

She grinned wider at that. "It's kind of fun watching him turn my favorite color," she said in a conspiratory whisper as she plucked at the purple scarf she was wearing.

"Well if that's how you spend your free time, I am impressed," he replied. "What can I do for you?"

Kate glanced back at Scott, but he seemed content to just see how she'd handle a mission like this, so she shrugged and turned back to Terry. "Honestly? We're just checking up on you. You know — say hi, tell you Storm misses you." She leaned forward and whispered the next part. "Unofficially? I tagged along because anybody she says is a literary genius is someone I want to steal if you ever get tired of cow country."

He looked a little bit shocked, but grinned at her. "Well ... as a matter of fact, I'm getting a little tired of the ah ... climate."

"Yeah, it can get pretty chilly," Kate said with a smirk.

"Downright frigid," he agreed.

She stuck both hands in her pockets and leaned forward. "Well, we've got branch offices from LA to Miami. I'm just saying. You know. If you get tired of frostbite."

"That sounds suspiciously like a freebie," he replied with a little frown forming. "Even if Storm is singing my praises."

She snorted outright. "Terry, I'll expect a resume and an interview just like anybody else. This is a sales pitch."

"Good," he said with a little sigh. "I'm not looking for a handout. Alright. Just — I guess give me an address to send it to and I'll be in touch."

She grinned and grabbed a pen to scribble it down. "You might be familiar with the place, but just in case," she said with a little laugh. "Big mansion, out by the woods. Can't miss it."

He smiled widely and chuckled. "Okay. Great. I'll send it your way. Thanks."

Scott stepped forward and quietly introduced himself when he saw that Terry and Kate were more or less getting along just fine. "Of course, you can just print it out later if you need to get an immediate change of scenery," he said with a meaningful look.

But Terry just shook his head slowly. "No, that's — I'm not going to do that unless it's an immediate need. I'll be heading east soon, but I'll get there on my own. Please tell Ms. Munroe not to worry so much."

"She worries about full-grown X-Men, so good luck with that, Terry," Kate said with a snort and a jaunty little wave. "I'll expect a resume, and if I like it — I'm having my editing team send you a test."

"I'll be sure to keep you abreast of my location then," he replied with a nod. Even so, Scott was sure to slip him a communicator — just in case.

The three shared quick goodbyes, and Kate was riding pretty high as she and Scott left the bunkhouse — so of course, as soon as they were out in the open, they heard the telltale whine of a Sentinel weapon behind them, and both of them sprang into action as they whirled to face the three Sentinels headed right for Scott.

Scott didn't even hesitate to engage and managed to shoot one of them in the face right off the bat, though the others split up and were quickly moving to surround him.

Kate was already replaying the hundreds of different 'save the mutant' sims she'd done with both Scott and Logan as she grabbed an acid arrow and took a running jump to hook her legs around one of the Sentinels by Scott and jam her arrow into the space between the head and shoulders and make herself a nice opening in the armor — so that when the Sentinel managed to throw her off, she had something to aim for.

Scott just kept blasting, though he couldn't seem to land a hit right once the one Sentinel managed to land a decent head shot. It was pretty clear that Scott was a bit staggered from the blow, but rather than give up the fight, he just started shooting faster.

When Kate saw that Scott was going for quantity of bursts over quality — which wasn't actually a bad strategy with how close the Sentinels were getting to him to try for a grab — she decided to help Scott out by drawing the Sentinels' attention, getting a bit closer than she usually would and keeping half an eye on the optic bursts Scott was putting out. She had to grin to herself when the one Sentinel neither of them had managed to tag finally turned her way, and she glanced over at Scott's cover fire and made up her mind.

It wasn't elegant at all — but it was the same move that Natasha had shown her with Logan. She couldn't quite get a full takedown, since this Sentinel was fully armored and frankly much harder to get to the ground — but she didn't have to. All she had to do was pull him just a bit to the right toward where Scott was firing and — _blam_. Right to the head.

The Sentinel crumbled underneath Kate, and she rolled with the fall, grinning at Scott for just a second before the last of the Sentinels made a rush for him, and she saw her opening.

The acid arrow, she hadn't realized, had melted right through the casing that covered her line of sight to a much more important shot — a little button that she recognized as the fun, explosive kind. It was only visible for a moment, and she didn't have time to second guess her shot — not that she ever did — before she took it.

Her arrow went right past Scott's face, in the space between his arm and his visor as he was adjusting it to fire, and into the Sentinel behind him, and both of them were knocked flat by the resulting explosion.

Scott stared over at Kate for half a second before a slow, easy grin began to spread across his face. "Nice shot, Hawkeye."

She pushed her hair out of her face and just grinned right back. "Way to hold the pose, boss man," she shot back. "Glad you didn't flinch."

"You and me both," Scott replied as he surveyed the damage around them and started to brush himself off. "Well. That was ... not entirely unexpected." He got to his feet and offered her a hand up. "I think I owe you a burger at least."

She beamed at him and took his hand to pull him into a hug. "You buy the burgers. I'll buy the shakes. Pretty sure almost shooting you in the arm is worth a shake."

"We'll see what they have. I've got a sneaking suspicion we'll just find some good bar food — and not a malt shop."

She laughed. "Then let me buy you a drink, stranger," she teased.

"Young lady, I am a married man," he laughed.

"And I'm an evil purple seductress, according to Logan," she shot back, still laughing.

"Well clearly he's off base," Scott said, rolling his eyes. "Again."

"Yeah — I'm a _superheroic_ purple seductress," she said before she broke into a long laugh that Scott couldn't help grinning at.

"Totally different classification," Scott agreed as they headed down the road to a fairly busy-looking bar. "Let's see how bad it is, shall we?"

She tipped her head at him and shrugged. "If I get hit on, don't be surprised if you suddenly get upgraded to Mr. Bishop," she warned him, though her eyes were sparkling with hidden laughter. "Try to play up the 'touch her and you die' look, okay?"

"I'll … try not to laugh."

She smirked; she'd really just wanted to see if she could tweak him with that one. "Oh. You can laugh after."

He shook his head and held the door open for her. To their surprise, the bar was very clean, brightly lit, and decorated exactly how one would expect to find a modern western bar. Lots of polished copper and hard wood, a few animal heads on the walls — lots of historic photos documenting the old building through the years. It actually looked as if it might be considered a more high-brow establishment if not for the dress of its patrons — just about all of them looked like they'd fallen out of a cattle drive. Blue jeans, cowboy boots, plaid shirts, and in some cases, massive belt buckles.

To Scott's dismay though, it looked as if just about every table was occupied. "Are you okay with the bar?" Scott asked.

She shrugged and nodded. "Good a place as any," she told him. "And the seats are higher so I can see anybody coming."

"And kick your bar stool?" Scott teased. "I seem to recall you liking that as a little girl."

She gave him the most epic eye roll she could before she pointedly hopped into a seat and very slowly and carefully stared at him as she kicked her feet back and forth.

"Are you going to expect a piggy back ride later too?" Scott asked.

"Woah now. I was kidding about the Mr. Bishop thing," she teased.

He just broke out into a broad grin and took the seat next to her. "Try and order off the big girl menu, okay?"

She smirked his way. "What, you don't want the kiddie discount on top of your senior one? You're buying after all."

"Oh, that was cold, Katie. I think you're grounded."

She smiled at him sweetly. "Oh no. I guess I'll just have to stay in my room. That I share. With my Elf."

Their bartender just smirked at the two of them as she slid the menus their way. "Let me know when you're ready," she said with a little laugh before she headed off to the far end of the bar.

Kate glanced over the menu quickly and then just shrugged Scott's way. "What — burgers and beer for you? I'm more a wine girl myself, and I don't think they have what I'm used to here."

"Yeah, probably. Though — the wine list looks good. But you're flying home, so maybe a little something that would encourage you not to crash?" Scott teased as he glanced around the bar.

"Something off the little kid menu?" she countered, chuckling.

"Well you _did_ want a shake," he countered before he leaned toward her and let his voice drop a bit quieter. "Notice anything off around here? Like _why_ there might be so many Sentinels buzzing around here?"

Kate raised her eyebrows for just a second and took a quick look around, this time more carefully, not just looking for anyone who was looking at her sideways but really _looking_. But it wasn't hard to spot the tall, blonde nightmare down at the end of the bar — even if she hadn't been a Hawkeye. "Yeah. Maybe we should put off the beer for you until after we take care of ugly?" she muttered back.

"We're not going to move on him unless he moves on someone else," Scott whispered. "He's been hunting people down for some pretty bad people. So — who's he after? Rachel didn't have anyone new on radar out here, so that means either she missed it or it's someone hard to catch."

Kate narrowed her eyes and nodded her understanding, her attention now on Sabretooth as she tried to follow his line of sight, though that wasn't all that helpful, considering the people that has his attention, it seemed, were Kate and Scott themselves.

As they were looking thoughtful and serious, their bartender returned to check on them, but Scott gave her a little bit of a brush off and asked for a few more minutes, which just got a friendly smile before the girl headed back down the bar. Kate had switched her tactics and was looking in the mirror trying to figure out if Sabretooth was using that as a means to watch the bar a bit more sneaky-like when the bartender reached out for his glass. He grabbed her arm and sent a fist square in her face before he grabbed her other hand and dragged her over the bar.

Kate didn't feel like asking Scott if they could shoot him _now_ as she just grabbed her bow and sent three arrows Sabretooth's way, two of which were acid just because she was feeling mean. Because no way in any universe was it cool to kidnap a nice bartender over her own bar like that — no way.

"We gotta get that girl before he takes off with her," Scott said as he rushed forward to try and chase after the already retreating monster. "If he does, we don't stand much of a change of finding her."

"You got it. I'll get her — you get ugly?" she offered as she ran after him, already fitting two more arrows.

"Anything that works," Scott agreed as they ran. "Have you done his sim yet?"

"Uh ... no. Not really, no."

"He heals almost as fast as Logan does," Scott explained before he took aim and let loose with a wicked shot that sizzled the ponytail right off of Creed's head. It was just a shame that he'd turned his head as it hit — rather than taking one directly in the back of his head. "Blow out his senses and we might be able to get him to drop her."

"Starting to wish I'd brought the tranqs," Kate muttered under her breath as she shot two more arrows that Sabretooth hardly seemed to feel.

"Tangler would be great right about now," Scott shouted. As he landed a shot on Sabretooth's arm, earning a snarl that sounded way nastier in person. "In case the snarl wasn't clear? Keep away from those claws. He likes to play with his food." He managed a few more shots — though even at a close range, the snarling sociopath was able to dodge most of them. He was just way too fast for someone his size.

Kate was running along behind him trying to get a clear shot. She didn't usually bring tanglers, but putty was always a good option so far, and as soon as she had the chance, she took a shot at Sabretooth's feet, sticking him fast, even for just a moment, so Scott could have a much easier, less-able-to-dodge target.

Sabretooth roared her direction and tried to reach out far enough to take a swipe at her, but Kate had at least managed to keep distance enough to avoid the claws. Scott hit him squarely in the chest twice when, to his surprise, the girl that was draped over his shoulder started to squirm and kick, hitting the beast and complicating Scott's shot.

She was swearing and hitting him as hard as she could, landing a few hits on the back of his head with her elbow on her backswing. Kate had to stop and tip her head a bit as Sabretooth was bleeding in several places now nowhere _near_ where she'd landed an arrow.

With another heart-stopping snarl, Sabretooth readjusted his grip on the girl and all but threw her to the ground hard, which got her to just quit moving again — but it left him wide open to Scott and Kate to attack.

Kate quickly let two arrows fly at once — hitting Sabretooth just above the knees from behind, which got him to roar in pain. It was enough to open the shot for Scott as he cranked up the intensity and nailed him square in the center of his chest. The intention was to at least temporarily stop his heart so they could grab the girl and get out.

Scott darted in as Creed fell backwards. He didn't even wait for him to hit the ground before he got a hold of the bloodied bartender and scooped her up with a little frown. "We should be quick."

"Where to?" Kate asked, eyeing Creed warily with her bow still drawn. "Take her home?"

"Well, if he was after her, I'd like to know why."

"Alright. I'll fly," Kate said with a little nod as the two of them took off at a run toward where they had stashed the jet. They were within sight of the jet when a snarl split the air behind them that had Kate's hair positively on end — it was way worse than what she'd seen when Logan was fighting him in a sim.

"Keep running," Scott advised, though it was clear that Creed was catching up fast, and he looked positively livid. "I'll shoot him again, but I gotta set her down." Kate didn't answer as she just kept shooting arrows Creed's way over her shoulder, hoping to stop him before she ran through the rest of her quiver. She hadn't prepared for this — and Creed was just the stuff of nightmares. She was starting to think there _was_ no way to prepare for a fight with him.

Scott managed to get the bloodied woman onto the blackbird before he turned just in time to see Kate as she tried to stand her ground, her quiver empty. She had a ready stance, though her eyes were wide as she waited for Creed to get close enough, and he was positively barreling toward her, his claws fully extended and his jaw dropped down and ready to slash her.

He let out a roar, and his claws came down in an arc when Scott took off his glasses and gave Creed a full blast that seared flesh from bone and blasted him backward a solid fifty feet. Creed tumbled back like a rag doll. It happened so quickly that it took a second before Kate realized that the snarls and growls were gone entirely, and she saw that she was now the proud owner of a ruined uniform with four slash marks that had barely grazed the skin on her left arm as neatly as if it had been done with razor blades.

"Don't _ever_ try to fight him hand to hand," Scott said with a serious frown on his face. "We keep our distance with him. _Always._ "

Kate took a deep, steadying breath before she just nodded. "Okay. Yeah. Got it," she said in a quiet voice, and it was a mark of both how close Creed had come to scaring her senseless — and worse — and how much respect she had for Scott that she didn't try to argue it.

"You take the stick and get us out of here," Scott said as they loaded up in the blackbird. "I'm going to see how badly injured our bartender is. If she doesn't have a broken skull, I'll be surprised." With that, he headed back to where he'd dropped off their unintended rescue, and Kate headed to the cockpit without a word of teasing or complaint.

They were halfway back to the mansion when Scott slipped into the co-pilot's chair. "Well. This should be interesting," he told Kate without even trying to speak quietly. "She's awake, and she's perfectly fine. No broken anything — no open wounds. Nothing wrong with her other than bloodied clothes."

"You get a name?" Kate asked out of the corner of her mouth.

"Not exactly," Scott admitted. "She was pretty... quiet with me. It seems she was a little concerned we might be with SHIELD."

"They come after her or something?" Kate asked. "Or did you not get that part?"

"She refused to answer," Scott replied. "So, if this keeps up, we're going to have to get Rachel involved. We can't exactly cut her loose without knowing what her story is."

"I could try," Kate offered.

"If you do? Just be careful," Scott replied. "It's pretty obvious that she heals. Who knows what else she does."

"You got it, boss man," she promised earnestly before she paused for a second and seemed to think it over. "And — Scott?" She looked a bit subdued. "I think I could use some training in the sim on Sabretooth fights."

"Yes, I think we could all use a refresher on him," Scott agreed. "If the price tag on this woman is high enough, he'll come looking sooner or later."

She frowned at that, her lips pressed tightly together. "Fun."

"It's easier in a team," Scott promised. "Especially when Storm in on board with us."

That got a little smirk from Kate, and she tipped her head his way. "That would be actual fun," she admitted. "I haven't seen her in action except when she spars with me — hand-to-hand."

"Last time, she just repeatedly electrocuted him," Scott said with a little smile. "Made it rain everywhere but exactly where he was standing so the flames wouldn't go out."

"Remind me never to make her mad," Kate said, starting to laugh at the mental image.

"If I have to remind you of that, there may be no hope, Hawkeye."

She snorted. "You're right," she said, nodding seriously before she let out a dramatic sigh. "Well, at least I'll go out in a blaze of glory. Literally."

"Well how about we skip the blaze of glory for now and see how good you are today getting information. Up until Creed, you were on fire for this mission," Scott said, his tone and smile encouraging. "See if you can get her to be friendly."

Kate grinned at the compliment and nodded Scott's way before she let him take over flying and slipped out of the cockpit to meet their new friend. The woman was sitting with her ankles crossed and her hands on her knees as she stared intently out the window when Kate slid into a seat across from her. "Hey. I'm Kate," Kate started off with a little smile and a wave.

"Nice to meet you," the woman replied with a little smile. "Sorry I never got to get you your drinks. Might have been able to avoid this otherwise. How long until we hit the ground?"

"Not much longer," Kate promised before she just shrugged up to her ears. "Sorry there's no magazines or anything. If I'd known we were picking up passengers, I'd've stocked up."

"Can't expect much from a free flight, right?" She smirked a little bit wider. "Which is headed ... where? Your charming companion didn't exactly tell me what the destination was."

Kate shrugged again, lightly. "I know it's the first date, but we thought we'd take you home," she said with an attempt at a teasing grin.

"Oooh, exciting," she replied as she leaned forward a bit. "Can't wait."

Kate grinned wider. So this girl had a sense of humor. Perfect. Kate already liked her. "I should warn you," she said with a chuckle. "Old Scotty over there is a married man. Don't let the Mrs. find out."

"Man," she said with a little sigh. "And I thought today was just going to be a simple shift — but now there's three ways and wives to worry about. Figures. At least the blonde wasn't part of the fun."

"Yeah — um, Sabretooth is _so_ not invited," Kate said, pulling a horrible face.

"Then I am both grateful and relieved," she replied as she tried to settle into her seat with a more relaxed posture.

Kate just grinned. "What's he want with a nice bartender like you, anyway?" she asked.

"Nothing good, I'm sure," she countered. "He has a reputation for a few things — none of which I'd like to participate in. But he wasn't exactly forthcoming with his nefarious intentions. To be honest, I'd hoped he wasn't on my tail."

"Yeah, not too talkative today," Kate agreed before she let slip a little smirk. "You gave it to him pretty good before the whole, you know, skull smashing thing."

"No way to treat a lady, that's for sure."

"Clearly no manners on that one," Kate agreed with a laugh. "Scott taught him a lesson," she added, indicating her torn uniform. "Can't really take the credit for the rescue on this one."

"He seems nice," she agreed, tipping her head toward the cockpit. "Lucky thing you two were passing through without the wife."

Kate laughed out loud. "Oh, I like you," she announced, shaking her head before she just fixed the woman with her best smile. "Yeah, Scott's a good guy. His wife's amazing, too. She'll probably like you — especially because Scott didn't get hurt in the rescue."

"Well if he's supposed to come back banged up I can … I dunno. Kick him in the shins or something. Indian burn. Pretty sure we can take him down."

Kate snorted. "Oh, we totally could. He's too nice to fight back too — not full-out anyway."

"Too bad for him, _way_ more fun when they have a little fight in them." She shook her head with a little tut.

"Well if you actually _spar_ with him…" Kate let the sentence hang in the air with a sparkle in her eyes.

"I don't spar. I wouldn't want to hurt him. Might bust up that pretty face."

"What's a bartender gonna do to the boss man?" Kate teased.

"Oh, not a thing, I'm sure," she replied with a little smile. "Like I said. Noogie. Indian burns. Something dreadful."

Kate just leaned back and grinned at her. "Uh-huh. And I'm Hawkeye, the harmless little parrot."

"Well that explains the purple." She smiled wider at her but didn't return the favor of names.

"What — I gotta have a reason to wear the best color the universe has ever created?" Kate laughed.

"Not at all; it just kinda stuck out in the middle of Wyoming," she answered easily.

"I'm thinking of going a bit deeper. You know, darker purples," Kate said with a wave of her hand.

"That would look nice," she agreed. "Maybe a little metallic thread in there?"

Kate nodded. "I used to wear something like that — dark purple, silver metallic touches."

"Yeah, but I was thinking metallic royal purple touches … deep."

"Bartender and fashion consultant. Anything you can't do?" Kate teased.

"I like to think not. What about you? Rescuer of bartender-fashion consultants? Pilot ... and a squawk-eye."

"Hawkeye," Kate corrected, snorting.

"You did say parrot. They squawk." She was grinning widely as she leaned back.

"Yeah, okay, I gave you that one on a platter," Kate admitted. She smirked and leaned forward with her hand outstretched. "Kate Bishop — Hawkeye — archer extraordinaire, X-Man, and publisher of only good books."

"Impressive," she replied before she took Kate's hand. "You can call me K. Occasional beer tender, bait for very large creepy guys. Nothing special here, really."

"I'll have to disagree on the nothing special bit because of Sabretooth? But I like the name," Kate said with a smirk.

"Best letter to work with, frankly."

Kate indicated the 'KB' on her quiver. "No arguments there. Even got a cute boyfriend with that very same one."

"K squared. Very nice."

Kate burst into a laugh at that, still chortling when she said, "I — I can't believe you came up with that before Spidey did. That's… amazing."

"Sounds like he's a bit slow," K replied. "Not my fault."

"Well, we love him anyway," Kate said, still chuckling.

"So — what am I looking at here?" K asked as she glanced up at Scott. "All jokes aside. If you're not SHIELD and you're not with Creed or his employers — what do you want from me?"

Kate straightened up a bit. "Um — well, if you haven't heard of the X-Men, I'm not sure I'm the one to give the pitch?"

"I've heard of them, I just don't buy all the crap they say on the news. Those reporters are either vapid narcissists or outright liars."

"Smart," Kate said with a smirk. "Well — um — Scott, this is your pitch, I think," she called up to their pilot. "I'm the newest little X-Man."

"Listen, I just want to know how long we're going to be friends, because I kind of like you, so — when we land, am I going to have to fight my way out?"

"That's not how we work," Scott said over his shoulder.

"Then please, enlighten me — because in the long history of ever, that's just not been the case. I'm not overly fond of the idea of wrecking your pretty face either."

"Well, that's something at least," Scott said with a light shrug before he turned slightly to face her better. "It's pretty straightforward, actually. The X-Men do what you just saw us do — we try to help mutants in trouble for the most part, and everybody else if we can."

"In exchange for …" K let the question fall as she watched him carefully.

He just shook his head. "That's not how we operate," he told her sincerely. "We just want to show the world there are good mutants — that we can use our abilities to help."

"Uh-huh," she said quietly as she thought it over. "And you're independent of any government?"

Scott nodded. "We're based in the U.S. but that's about as much of a tie as we have," he admitted. "Government agencies and mutants don't mix well."

"So I've heard. You don't operate with … _anyone_ then? I don't …I guess I don't really understand."

" _With_ anyone?" He shrugged. "Sometimes we'll help out the Avengers or one of the other teams who need it. For?" He shook his head again. "No."

"Al-right," she said slowly. "If that's the case, now what?" K asked, sitting on her hands and leaning slightly forward, though she never let either of them out of her sight.

"Now," Scott said, "we figure out why Sabretooth was after you."

"How specific do you want? Because … it's just money." She didn't even hesitate. "At least I hope it was just the money. I'd really rather not imagine that he just wanted _alone time_ with me."

"That's the short answer," he agreed just as quickly. "But we've had dealings with this guy before. We know how to fight him — but if he thinks he can make enough money off of you? He _will_ come back."

K just watched Scott for a moment. "Define _enough_ ," she said quietly. "And ... how likely it is that one of you guys would want to cash in yourselves?"

"We _don't_ cash in on _people_ ," Scott said with a look of pure disdain.

"I bet you say that to all the girls you pick up without your wife around," K replied as she stretched her legs out in front of herself.

Scott shot Kate a look for just a moment before he let out a sigh and shook his head. "It's not a line — it's the truth."

"I know, I'm just picking on you. In many cultures, particularly North America, that's how you know someone _likes you_." She delivered the line perfectly straight-faced. " _Namaste_ , Mister Cute Brunette. _Namaste_."

Kate burst into laughter beside her — not only at the line but at Scott's expression. "Can we keep her? Please? I like this one!" she managed between giggles.

"The offer to stay is always open," Scott replied, slightly red-faced as he shook his head. "Stay long enough, and we'll put you to work like we did Kate."

Kate was still giggling as she shot K a look. "He makes it sound so serious, but being a superhero is the _best_."

"Mmm, right," K replied. "Palling around with stacked guys in tight pants. Sign me up. Oh. you have to save people too? I _suppose_ , if we have the time."

Kate was fully laughing now, her arms around her middle. "They're even more fun to watch when they're saving people," she gasped out before she made an action hero pose. "You know. Tight around the arms too," she explained before she dissolved into giggles again.

"Fabulous," K replied. "I'll at least stick around to watch the scenery."

"Oh, you'll fit in _great_ ," Kate said with relish, laughing harder when she saw the shade of red getting steadily darker on Scott's neck and face.

"I think you better go co-pilot with him before he has a coronary," K whispered after Kate had gotten a hold of herself. "He's awfully dark still."

Kate giggled. "Yes, he is, isn't he? Poor thing," she said with a troublemaking smirk as she made her way up to the cockpit.

"It's too bad, really. I could have done a lot more to get a better color." She gave Kate a look. "You know. If you weren't attached."

Kate laughed. "Stick around and let me introduce you to a few people. We'll get a spectacular purple color — just wait."


	11. A Matter of Trust

**From CC: Well. I am partial to her, and the more I write of the two of them, the more I believe my own opinion that yes. Yes. this is the way it should be. Give K to Logan and give Annie to Scott. POOF. Happy boys. Yes Good. (Griezz. Omg. I don't know what that word was but I'll take it. Your attempt to turn Logan into a K-name is commendable.)**

 **SUPAH glad you girls approve because it was gonna happen anyhow! ;)**

 ***robbie is giggling too hard at the valiant attempt to K-ify Logan's name to do anything but nod along to what CC's saying***

* * *

 **Chapter 11: "A Matter of Trust"**

* * *

Noh had been following Hank's instructions to the letter in an attempt to get better — and he honestly didn't mind in the least spending this much time with Jubilee, either. He did feel bad about how much food he needed to kickstart his healing — but she seemed more than happy to crawl in bed with a tray and a movie anyway. And he was feeling much better, with his arm around her shoulders and her head on his chest without his pain receptors turned off, so that was a good sign for his recovery.

So when the little whine started up from the arm band, he did his level best to just ignore it. It was an annoyance, and surely Assistant Director Hill couldn't expect him back this quickly. Not to mention the fact that Jubilee was curled up into him, and if he looked like he was reaching for his communicator, she would try and steal it first.

Eventually, the noise got loud enough that it was hard for him to concentrate on anything else, so he tapped the band to acknowledge it but still made no move to leave. That would buy him a little time, anyway.

At his movement, Jubilee snuggled in a bit deeper and leaned forward in her sleep to kiss his neck, still drifting, mostly unconscious.

He leaned into her hair and kissed the top of her head with a little contented smile, and he closed his eyes to just try and relax. He had actually fallen back asleep when the high-pitched whine started up again, this time much more insistent, intense enough that it not only woke him but had his entire body on edge, the frequency seeming to cut right through his tympanic membrane. And it didn't stop when he touched the arm band, either — just kept getting more insistent and intense.

Jubilee's eyes fluttered open quickly at the way he was tensed and half holding his breath. "Are you — did I do something?" she asked, a bit of alarm in her voice.

"No — no, not you," he said through his teeth.

"Then what?" she asked. "What's happening?" She looked truly worried, and it was clear she had no idea what she could do to help.

"I just — it's not—" He had his eyes closed and gave up on trying to explain to her entirely as he tried to focus on rerouting his brain patterns so he could just _ignore_ the input, but it was hard to focus, his concentration shattered by the sound that was literally traveling through his body. It was the kind of frequency the Shi'ar used to make Kree _hurt_ , though not quite at the level of Warbird's war cry that had shattered his entire membrane the first time they met. When he finally gave up that approach, he just reached for his communicator. "I need to get to my ship," he whispered, still through his teeth.

Jubilee frowned at him as she put it together. "How are they doing … whatever they're doing?" she asked, her eyes flashing.

"It's not — don't worry," he told her as he pulled up the message with the coordinates and responded to it directly — which finally stopped the noise. He let out all his breath as he could finally function again, and he tried to smile her way. "I'm fine."

"Noh, _please_ tell me what they're doing to you," she asked quietly. "I trust _you_ completely, but what they're doing ... I need to know."

He looked taken aback for a moment and looked up at her with wide eyes — still not quite able to believe that she trusted him after everything he'd done to break that trust — before he just leaned over and kissed her. "It's not your concern," he told her seriously. " _Please_ don't make it your concern."

"So, is it that you're being stupid and trying to protect me?" Jubilee replied slowly. "Or is it that you don't trust me to tell me anything?"

He looked genuinely hurt. "I trust you with my life, Jubilee," he said sincerely.

"Then please, please tell me who is making your life miserable." She let out a breath at his hesitation. "Or at least give me a clue, because I am about thirty seconds from flying up to kill Brand. And I'm not even joking."

"It's not Brand," Noh said quietly, rubbing the Kree calming band as he said it. She was an ally — in a way. He didn't want her caught up in what she had clearly disapproved of.

She narrowed her eyes at him and concentrated hard on trying to just ... calm down, but in the process, she started to get a feeling for who it was. "Not SWORD," she half breathed out. "But close."

He just kissed her temple before he slipped out of the bed faster than she could react. "Just ... trust me, Jubilee," he said.

"Always," she replied, though it was clear she wasn't letting this subject fall.

"Then trust me when I tell you this: don't look into it," he said seriously. "Not if you value your freedom."

"I love you, but I'm not going to let you stop me either," Jubilee replied easily. "So ... sorry, but I'm not sorry. And I'm not going to just wait in the wings."

His eyes widened the slightest bit, and he stopped just beside the window. He … couldn't believe what he was hearing, and her timing couldn't have been worse, as he was half afraid the noise would start up again any moment, and he didn't know that Hill would keep to her promise to leave the mansion alone if she thought she had to come there to retrieve him.

"I love you too, Jubilee," he said softly. But he wasn't going to let her keep questioning him, and he just ducked out the window, running down the side of the building and off to ... _wherever_ faster than she could stop him.

Jubilee had just let out a sigh and quickly changed for the day when there was a little knock on the door. She was relieved to see that it was Logan — apparently coming to check on her.

"You okay in here?" he asked with a little frown. "What the hell was that damn noise?"

"What, you've never heard a fight before? I doubt that somehow," Jubilee said with a little snort. "Surprised Noh can take it that well."

But Logan was already shaking his head. "No, no this high pitched noise. Kinda ... damn near like a squealing. What the hell was it?"

Jubilee turned slowly to face him with a deep frown on her face. "High pitched — how high pitched?" Logan just shrugged. "And was it off before or after Noh ran down the wall like a scared little cockroach?"

"Before — why?" Logan asked, and all at once, Jubilee looked positively furious again.

"Who's in charge of SWORD?" Jubilee asked as she stalked up to him, her hands on her hips. "Not Brand. Who's her boss?"

"You'd have to ask Fury," Logan said with a fair bit of caution. "Why?"

"No reason yet. Hey. Make sure you're free when Noh gets back, I think I might need your help."

"Whatever you need, kiddo," Logan agreed before Jubilee stalked past, bound for the computer to do some digging. It was _there_ , at the computer as she was just getting into her search for the top of SWORD, that Scott knocked on the door with a little smile.

"Working hard on something important, or a personal project?" Scott asked, quickly putting his hands up in front of him. "It's fine either way, really. Just had a little favor to ask if you had a few minutes."

Jubilee glared at him for a moment but then leaned back in her chair. "I might be persuaded to help you when I run into a dead end here," she replied.

Scott grinned at her outright before he stepped in the room the rest of the way and closed the door behind himself. "We just picked up a woman in Wyoming — accidental thing; we only caught up with her because Creed was trying to collect a bounty," he explained quietly. " Think you could double check that she's _legal_?" The question came with his most pleading look, and Jubilee just sort of deflated a bit before she finally nodded her head.

"Just write her name down and I'll … dig around for you," she replied, only to get irritated when Scott simply wrote a single letter.

"Good luck," he said before he stepped out of the room. She frowned at the 'K' on the page and stuck her head out of the door to yell down the hall at him.

"Nothing good has ever come from a single letter like that," she shouted. "You know that, right?"

"Have a little faith, Jubilee," Scott called back. " _I'm_ not the one that brings trouble home with them."

* * *

After her art class was over, Warbird had taken recently to patrolling the hallways, not only for something to do but because the so-called warrior who had offered to help with the security of the mansion had done nothing but either take up Beast's time or simply be _absent_ from the duties he had volunteered himself for. _Typical Kree behavior,_ she thought as she turned down the hallway.

Besides, it was _her_ job before it was his.

While classes were still ongoing, there was very little in the way of movement or excitement around the school, though she did pass Beast on his way up to the residential areas to check on his ongoing patient. Really, that Kree was more trouble than he was worth.

So when she saw Beast on his way back as she made a second pass of the halls, she only just managed not to look too entirely delighted when she saw his livid expression. At least she wasn't the only one who could see _sense_ around here.

"What ails you?" she called out to him, knowing exactly the answer already but just… wanting to hear it.

Henry turned her way with a look of near rage, though he was probably one of the best in the mansion to put that particular emotion in check quickly. "I'm afraid nothing that concerns you, my dear."

Warbird smirked at that and shook her head. "I've nothing to do this afternoon — if you require assistance," she pressed, hoping she could help expedite an eviction if she was lucky.

"You have never offered your services in my lab before," Henry pointed out. "Forgive me if I find your offer … ill-timed."

She wrinkled her nose the slightest. "I wasn't offering to help aide that excuse for a warrior, but to help his exit. Or am I reading your expression entirely wrong?" she asked in a tone that was filled with triumph.

"Warbird," Henry said, leveling his glare her way, his eyes flashing. "If it comes to that — I can guarantee that I will need the assistance of no one."

She paused at the anger in his gaze, not taken back by it but simply surprised to see it from him, of all people. "I don't doubt that," she said after a moment. "But surely it's reached that point? I have not seen you this way… not in peacetime, at any rate."

Henry seemed to bristle at that, but again, he managed to keep his true feelings in check. "Time will have to tell," he replied with much more of his usual easy tone. "For now, I'm afraid it's not my decision to make."

"I can make it for you," she said with relish in her tone. "He doesn't belong here, and you know it."

"That decision is for Jubilation to make — no one else."

Warbird made a derisive noise as she shook her head. "Horrible taste. She'll come to her senses."

"If and when that happens — if she requires your help — then and only then will we discuss this again."

Warbird watched him for a moment through slightly narrowed eyes before she let out a huff and turned on her heel. "When she does come to her senses, tell me. It will be a good show even without my involvement."

"Indeed," Henry agreed before he continued his trek back to his lab. Whenever that boy returned, Henry hoped to be the one to catch him — and remind him _again_ how thin the ice was he was walking on.

* * *

Kate was just finishing up taking K on a tour of the mansion, which was fairly empty when they arrived, seeing as classes were still in session. She grinned widely when they got to the med wing. "So, you still haven't met my sweet little Elf," she explained. "He got a bit ... shot."

"You broke him?" K asked. "That wasn't very nice."

"I know, I'm horrible," Kate agreed before she just rubbed the back of her neck ruefully. "Actually, you're not far off? My nemesis shot him, so — pretty close."

"So _you_ didn't break him," K decided. "He was in the wrong place and did a spectacularly stupid impression of a human shield."

Kate snorted. "Wrong place, yes. And while he does tend to do stupid protective things? This one caught us all by surprise," she admitted as they entered the med wing. "He's usually pretty good at dodging."

"I"m going to just not pick at you right now about being a Hawkeye and missing that. Just this once." She looked at Kate very seriously. "But only this once."

"Well, good, because I'm pretty sure I heard that line already," Kate shot back with a raised eyebrow. "Multiple times, from many different people."

"Shameful. Then show me this boy that was so distracted by your beauty that he forgot to dodge bullets."

Kate grinned outright and showed K back into where Kurt was, surprisingly, awake and grinning her way, as Hank was talking to him with a clipboard in hand.

"How you feeling today, _Engelchen_?" Kate asked in a low whisper as she leaned over to kiss his cheek.

"Much better, _V_ _ö_ _gelchen,_ " he replied with a warm smile. "Where have you been off to today?"

"Bringing home strays," Kate said, tipping her head K's direction with a wide smile. "Can I keep her? I like her."

"That's quite the endorsement," Kurt said with a laugh. "Where did you find her?"

"She's the best bartender-fashion director in all of Wyoming," Kate said, grinning. "Scott and I had to fight a big Sabretooth to win her over, but I think she likes us."

He raised his eyebrows at that. "You had to fight Creed? Are you alright?" He was already directing Hank to check her over with one hand.

Kate playfully batted Hank away from her and showed him the tear in her uniform. "Literally just a scratch," she promised.

"Might want to have that cleaned," K said calmly as she leaned against one of the empty beds, arms crossed. "No telling what he's been doing with those claws. He keeps them _inside_ his body after all."

Kate shuddered dramatically. "Ew. Just ew."

"Just sayin'," K replied with a shrug. "You might want to take a bath in rubbing alcohol. I do."

"Whatdya say, Hank? Can you hook her up with such a bath?" Kate asked with a serious expression. "He had her over his shoulder. Full contact. Very gross."

K was nodding seriously with an expression of disgust on her face. "He grabbed my ass too. Straight up nasty."

"It's a good thing we had our tight-pants boss man around to blast him," Kate said with a serious expression to match.

"So, so nice," K half purred. "Such lucky girls." She frowned a bit and looked to both of the blue men nearby. "I don't suppose you two want to give us a parade?"

"I'm not that much of an exhibitionist," Kurt said with a look Kate's way that had her giggling behind her hand.

But K crossed her arms and fixed him with a look as she narrowed her eyes. "Oh, you little _liar._ But I'll let it slide, I'm not big on tails that have tails."

"More for me," Kate said with an impish grin as she just slid into a chair next to Kurt and beamed at him.

"Well, I'll leave you two to … whatever it is you're up to," K said, already edging toward the door. "I'll ... find my way out."

"What, without your alcohol bath?" Kate teased.

"I'll exfoliate. With a belt sander. I'm sure it'll be fine." She was very nearly to the door when Hank managed to block her exit and gently redirect her back toward his desk, explaining that all the residents had to put up with a bit of an exam, though he promised nothing terribly invasive. She frowned at him and allowed him to lead her, though she clearly dragged her feet and tried not to pout about it too much.

As he went through the usual run down, Hank called out to Kate — partially to tell her the news, but also to try and illustrate how simple the exam was. "Kate," Hank said. "You can take Kurt back upstairs today if you'd like; he's healed enough for pills and a little trust."

Kate beamed at Kurt outright. "Oh, good. Our bed is much more comfy," she said as she leaned over to kiss his nose. "And I think the bamfs miss the massive cuddle piles." She tipped her head to indicate one of the bamfs, who was trying to be sneaky about peering at K with an openly curious expression.

The little brunette purposely ignored the little demon until she locked eyes with him and shot him a little smile. He tipped his head in response and hung in the air upside down to just keep staring at her, though this time with a little grin before he teleported over to get much closer, still upside down and grinning.

She let the little smile fall entirely before she just leaned forward and gave him a little kiss on the nose. "Cheeky," she said at just over a whisper, which just got the little guy to fall into giggles.

"Careful, or they'll never leave you alone," Kate said with mock seriousness. She pointed her finger at one of them and giggled out, "Don't go bothering our new neighbor. She's staying across the hall from us for a little while, and I want her to _like_ it here."

"They're cute," K said as she offered her upturned hand to one to climb up into so the little guy could sit on her hand with an impish grin.

"I think so too. But I'm pretty fond of the big one, so I might be biased," Kate said with a teasing smile Kurt's way.

"Well if he's as flirty as the little ones, I can see why you like him," K teased.

"Yep. He's a charmer," Kate agreed as Kurt just laughed and rested his chin on her shoulder.

"You know," K said, looking Kurt's direction. "It took her forever to tell me her name. All she wanted to do was brag about her cute little Elf. Sickening."

"Is that so?" Kurt asked, grinning Kate's way as she just nodded seriously, just running with the story K was spinning.

"Oh, yeah. I thought she needed to know about your swashbuckling, handsome, fuzzy blue self. Triple wield with the tail — so very cute."

K nodded along. "It's a hostile environment, clearly. No names — just bragging on the cute boys. Unbelievable."

"And then when she met Annie and we got her started on Scott…!" Kate shot a look K's way and just started to grin.

"It was impressive. The _detail_ that she was willing to get into with a total stranger over her husband. I was shocked. Impressed. But shocked."

Kurt was looking between the two of them with a bemused expression on his face, and he just started to shake his head. " _Where_ did you find her, again?" he asked almost disbelievingly.

"Doesn't matter. I'm keeping her," Kate said.

"Hope you don't mind sleeping in the middle." K smiled sweetly his way and shot him a wink.

Kurt just shook his head at both of them again. "Please tell me you haven't introduced her to Jubilee yet," he said. "I don't think the mansion can handle all three of you at once."

"Ooh, that's a great idea," Kate said with a huge, troublemaking grin. "K, you _so_ have to meet Jubes. She's my partner in crime on all things awesome. We're already setting up this year's Halloween bash."

"I like her already," K replied before she caught Hank's eye. "What do you say, Doc? Is it terminal?" Hank stopped what he was doing and gave her a little raised eyebrow look.

"I'll have to get back to you," he teased. "Don't leave the grounds, please. Not until Scott gives you the all clear. I'd rather not try to patch you together should Creed come looking." She gave him a little smile and rolled her sleeve down before she turned to Kate.

"Are you escorting him now, or are we going to come back for him and carry him upstairs?"

"Oh, he doesn't need to be carried," Kate said with a wide grin as she just leaned onto Kurt's shoulder. "We can go upstairs anytime he wants. In a little poof of smoke and brimstone."

"Well that's a shame," K replied. "No carrying."

"Oh, there's plenty of carrying," Kate laughed. "When we first met, he plucked me out of the sky."

"Sounds dreamy," K replied. "I don't have any fun stories to tell." She shrugged and let out a little sigh.

"Well, stick around. The fun never stops." Kate glanced up at Kurt and then back to K. "I'm going to 'escort' this one. See you at dinner?"

"Oh, probably," she said with a nod. "Have fun. Don't go turning into K-cubed."

"No danger of that, seeing as you're not invited," Kate shot back, sticking out her tongue.

"That is so not what I meant, but okay, I can run with that too," she laughed.

"See you at dinner, then. We're ordering pizza after Bobby burns water," Kate said before she and Kurt disappeared in a poof of indigo-blue smoke that smelled of brimstone.

K let out a sigh as Hank rested a hand on her arm. "Perhaps I should escort you to your room," he said with a little smirk. "Classes will be out in a few minutes, and I'd rather you didn't get caught up in the rush."

She considered him for a moment and just nodded her agreement, more than a little surprised when he offered her his arm when she was solidly on her feet. She gave him a little smile and gently held onto him. "It's terribly hard to say no to a gentleman," she told him with a smirk.

Hank only covered her hand with his and chuckled, giving her his version of a tour on their way upstairs, and she was totally engaged with his tour, enjoying the company and his kind tones.

When the two of them hit the kitchen, however, Logan was sitting at the table with his paper and a cup of coffee. He did a bit of a double take as the two of them walked in, and K looked slightly taken off guard when she saw him, going so far as to stop short, though Henry was quick to stop with her.

"Logan, our newest resident — at least for the time being," Hank informed him when he saw that the look Logan had was almost identical to the one K was wearing. "She goes by K."

Logan frowned and just watched her for a moment. "Why is that?" he asked.

"Just the way it is," she replied with a tiny shrug. That got him to frown deeper and tip his head to the side the slightest as Henry pulled her forward again. "See you later," she said when she saw he looked as though his hackles were raised. "Maybe."

"Definitely," Logan replied as K glanced over her shoulder at him and gave him a clear once over followed by a tiny smile that left him staring after she and Henry disappeared around the corner.


	12. Hand to Hand Training Doubles

**Notes: Yes, we love having K in this universe, and now that she's met Logan, we all know what that means… ;) After all, we put the OCs where they are desperately needed. This totally qualifies.**

* * *

 **Chapter 12:** " **Hand to Hand Training Doubles"**

* * *

Jubilee had been working on trying to track down information on this ... _person_... for a few days now, and she was pretty well convinced there was just _nothing_ to find when Scott poked his head in to check up on her progress.

"Any luck?" he asked.

"I'm pretty sure this is a fake name. Or letter. Or whatever," Jubilee said with a frown. "Fingerprints are coming back as negative to everything too. She doesn't exist on file."

Scott looked only a little surprised as he shook his head. "I suspected the name might not be helpful, but the fingerprints too?" he muttered.

"Not even the DNA profiles that Dr. Blue ran," Jubilee said as she spun in her chair. "Nothing. So — she's not now and never has been registered anywhere with anyone, and I don't even know how she _would_ be."

"There's got to be something," Scott said thoughtfully, almost leaning over her shoulder. "I doubt she just appeared in the middle of a Wyoming bar."

"Well I tell you what, Oh Fearless Leader," Jubilee said, making a show of scooting her chair out of his way so he could take over on the computer if he wanted. "You come up with something and I'll run it down, but so far — I can't do anything with what I have, and any attempt to even _look_ at a SHIELD anything with any of that information tagged on it? Blue screen of death. More or less."

Scott paused, glanced at the computer, let out a sigh, and then just nodded. "Thanks for trying," he said — before he broke into a small smile and stepped back, jerking his thumb over his shoulder. "How about we get you out of the computer room? I was headed out to run down a lead anyway, just a quick recon. I could use the company."

"Yes, please," she said before she all but bounded out of her chair and wrapped her arms around his neck.

He just grinned right back at her as he returned the hug. "It's the least I can do after making you chase ghosts for days," he told her.

"You didn't make me," Jubilee defended. "It's for everyone's safety, right? And it was more than I could get done over the other thing I was working on anyhow."

"Maybe I can help that that," Scott offered, setting her back down gently.

"Well sure, if you know who in SHIELD is in charge of SWORD," Jubilee said with a little laugh, not expecting an answer at all.

"At the very top?" Scott asked with a light shrug. "Unless something changed recently, it should be the assistant director."

"Wait, _what_?" Jubilee asked, totally taken off guard. "Are you kidding me right now?"

Scott looked surprised at her reaction. "No," he said quickly. "I dig some digging years back — why?"

"Let me — let me just chew on that for a little bit," Jubilee said, going from wide-eyed surprised to narrowed-eyed suspicion and anger the more she let that new information simmer. "I need to think this over before I say anything." She had a deep frown on her face that looked like it was just fueling her anger.

Scott tilted his head at her curiously but said, "Take your time."

She let out a breath and tried to get back some of her smile as she looked up at him. "Okay. So. What are we doing exactly about this _K_ woman?"

"Just making sure Creed doesn't try and come after her for now," Scott told her frankly. "I found a lead, but I'm not sure it's solid, and I want to check it out."

"I thought Kate was blowing smoke on that," Jubilee said. "He's really after her that hard?"

"Seems like it," Scott agreed. He smiled at her almost sheepishly as he added, "That's part of why I was pushing you to dig deeper. She won't tell anyone _why_ he's after her, and so far, she's been more stubborn than Logan on doing an evaluation. Refuses to even defend herself — and I doubt Victor Creed is on the look out for a pacifist."

"Well. Maybe I need to dig into Creed instead," Jubilee said as they headed for the hangar. "Figure out who he's working for right now, and that might be what we need to break that little mystery open. Though why the heck she won't just spill I'd really like to know."

"That's a good idea," Scott said with a smile. "Rachel tried too — but K just chased her out. I'd like to know what secrets she's hiding that carefully."

"Careful, Scott," Jubilee said. "Starting to sound suspiciously like the Director."

"There's no need for insults," Scott said, shaking his head at her. "I'm just ... curious. And maybe a little concerned."

She bumped his arm with her shoulder. "Well between the two of us, we should be able to figure out one stubborn woman, right?"

"You'd think so," Scott agreed with a laugh as the two of them made their way down to the hangar.

It wasn't too long of a flight out to Scott's coordinates, but even so, Scott didn't waste any time once they were in the air to turn her way with a sideways glance. "So ... this secret project of yours. Anything I can do, beyond telling you who runs SWORD?" he asked carefully.

"Well," Jubilee said as she let out a long breath. "Now? Maybe help me figure out how to trash a control device without burning him." She shook her head and decided she'd have to come clean somehow. She just … needed to figure out how to explain what she knew was going on — and what she suspected.

Scott raised both eyebrows. "What kind? We've had some experience there," he pointed out.

"Yeah, I know," she said quietly. "I'm not sure what it is, exactly. But ... I think it's sonic."

He let out a breath, looking more serious as he leaned back and clearly thought it over. "Alright," he said slowly. "What makes you so sure?"

"I really didn't know until Logan asked me what the noise was," Jubilee replied. "It's gotta be higher than we can hear. But ... Noh has some seriously enhanced hearing."

Scott pressed his lips tightly together for a long moment before he nodded. "He's been gone a lot lately," he said simply. "I know Henry's upset."

"He doesn't _want_ to be," Jubilee defended quickly before she settled back into her chair with her teeth clenched. "But he says he _has_ to."

Scott watched her fume, the frown obvious. He knew what he'd heard from Henry about the kind of risks Noh was taking with his own health, but he also knew that Jubilee wouldn't defend him this strongly without a reason. "Do you know when he'll be back next?" he asked. "Maybe we can pin him down."

"I never know," Jubilee replied, her frustrated tone slipping out in a sigh. "But I told Logan to make sure he's around so he can help me figure it out."

"Smart move," Scott said with a nod. He tipped his head to one side and let out a breath. "How long has this been going on?" he asked. "I know he's been ... off lately. He told me about the comfort bands or whatever they're called."

Jubilee just stared at him for a moment. "He started off with one," she said. "After he did a job for Brand."

"That makes sense," Scott said thoughtfully. "She'd have access to his homeworld, and I know he doesn't."

"But he said it wasn't Brand pushing him around," Jubilee countered.

"No, he seemed to like her okay," Scott agreed. "I think it was a gift, not anything else."

"But Hill...?" Jubilee said, and when Scott raised an eyebrow her way in a silent question, she let out all her breath and crossed her arms over her chest. "That woman has it out for him."

"What for?" Scott asked. "I mean ... I know about the Phoenix debacle…"

"Yeah, I knew you would," Jubilee said. She let out a sigh that seemed to move her entire body. "Logan seems to think she's just ... got an axe to grind on Noh. Logan shoved it in her face pretty hard that she screwed up with him. He was really really mad when he heard they'd put Noh in the Cube."

"I didn't hear about that," Scott said with a frown as he put the blackbird down at the coordinates he'd found.

"We ... well ... _they_ got picked up a while ago?" Jubilee said. "I went with — like always. And all the way to Fury's office, Logan and Hill sniped at each other over it. He was making some pretty rough-sounding accusations that Hill didn't even _try_ to defend. She was trying to reason them away."

"That ... doesn't surprise me. On either count." Scott let out a sigh. "Okay. As soon as we get done here, I'll start digging around what I know about SWORD. I'm sure between the two of us, we can figure it out."

Jubilee relaxed and let out all her breath in a whoosh. "It is _so_ nice to have you back."

He grinned at her. "Honestly — it's nice to be back," he said as they climbed out of the blackbird.

The two of them made their way through the dense trees together carefully and quietly, keeping an eye out for trouble, though of course, they heard it before they saw it when an ear-splitting roar sounded close by.

"Ah, the sound of the dirty rotten …"

"Jubes, don't," Scott said quietly, holding out a hand to try and signal her to keep back.

It wasn't hard to find the fight after that — they just had to follow the sound of the roars and shouts and growling and occasionally breaking tree limbs. But when they finally spotted the fighters, both of them were shocked at just _who_ was trying to take on Sabretooth.

To Noh's credit, he was actually doing Creed some serious damage. It looked like the two of them had been fighting for a while, as both were clearly bloodied, but Noh seemed to be keeping relatively clear of Creed's claws with a speed that the big guy just couldn't match. It was only when Noh moved in to get in a hit of his own that Creed would slash him or — as Scott and Jubilee arrived — grab him by the arm and fling him into the trunk of a tree hard enough to snap the tree in half.

"We are not going to just stand here and watch this happen," Jubilee said, already building up a plasma burst to throw.

"No, we're not," Scott agreed, his hand to his visor just seconds before he sent a blast Creed's way that pushed him back several feet from Noh, who jumped back to his feet like the tree hadn't even touched him and simply dove right back at Creed, hitting him squarely in the chest where Scott had hit him with enough force that it sent Sabretooth flying backward before he hit the ground.

Noh dove forward to attack, his nails extended in claws much like Creed's, and frankly, he would have absolutely won the fight if it wasn't for the fact that the last thing Creed wanted was to be brought in by the X-Men. In a desperate move, he reached up, not to defend himself from Noh's attack but to pull him in closer so that he could reach down and slash through the Kree warrior's legs. He took a solid hit for the move, with Noh practically slicing his chest open in a five-pointed pattern, but he succeeded in tearing out Noh's hamstrings — or whatever the alien equivalent was — making damn sure that Noh was unable to run or chase him down.

With Noh not much of a threat, Creed grabbed the young man by both arms and just whipped him with all of his considerable strength toward Scott before Scott could blast him again.

Scott found himself suddenly torn between trying to ease Noh's landing or dodging out of the way himself, but Jubilee didn't even consider it when she ducked right under him and let loose the plasmoid she'd been building.

The sparks and screaming colors fizzled and caught not only the clothes Creed was wearing but the flesh itself, and Creed was forced to clear out before the two X-Men could manage to re-group and come after him, smoking and bleeding and badly beaten — but still on his feet, at least enough to keep from being taken in.

Scott let out a sigh when he saw that Creed was gone and turned back to ask Noh if he was alright — or what he could do to help — but there simply wasn't any sign of the Kree fighter, and Scott swore under his breath. "Is this what he's been doing this whole time?" Scott asked Jubilee, starting to understand just _why_ she was so upset.

She just glared his way with one hand on her hip as an answer before she turned and started toward the jet.

* * *

Kate was half pulling on K's arm as they headed to the Danger Room. "Look, I swear, I'm not Scott — I'm _not_ trying to trick you into an eval."

"Well that's good, because I know I already told you — I don't do evaluations. For anyone," she replied. "Ever."

"Yeah, you sorta made that loud and clear the last two times," Kate said, shaking her head. "I just want a sparring partner for Logan's training. Sometimes it helps to see it."

"I'm not a very good sparring partner either," K replied. "And I don't _need_ any hand-to-hand training."

"Please?" Kate batted her eyelashes.

"Hey. I use that trick," she said as she put her hands on her hips. "So that doesn't work on me."

"What if I bribe you with — I don't know — we'll order in your favorite food or something," Kate offered. "C'mon, I'd ask Jubes, but she's in a _mood_."

"Tell you what — go riding with me, and I'll go play pattycake with you or whatever."

"Horses or motorcycles or what?" Kate asked.

"Well if there are enough motorcycles, sure, we could imitate the shriners or the Hells Angels — but I was leaning to horses."

Kate stuck her hand out. "It's a deal," she said with a grin. "You help me learn how to kick more butt, and I'll go riding with you."

"Fair enough, I guess," K replied with a little shrug. "Lead the way."

With that, Kate broke into a beaming smile as she threw her arm around K's shoulders and led the way to the Danger Room. "I brought a friend!" she called out to Logan and Kurt once they arrived.

"I'm here under duress," K said flatly as Kate gave her a look.

Logan didn't really react at first more than to give her a second look, not sure yet if she was teasing or picking on Kate. "I guess we're paired up to fight," Logan said. "You girls ready to watch and learn?" K just half snorted at that and gestured to Kate.

"That's sort of the definition of why I'm here?" Kate teased. "I was hoping you'd show me how to escape holds, but if you'd rather just show off for my lovely lady friend, feel free."

"Yes. That one," K said, nodding. "Go ahead. Don't be shy." The two women stood side by side with matching smirks as K just waved at them to carry on, which got Kurt at least to crack a smile.

"What kind of holds did you want to work on?" Logan asked with an ill-hidden smirk of his own. "What are you worried about, I should ask."

Kate just shrugged. "Let's start with arm holds maybe? First time I fought the Marauders — you know, when we were doing our epic world tour? — I got my arm nearly twisted off. And I was thinking — you know, with Scott back in town after the honeymoon? — it's probably good to know how to not make the same mistake." She shrugged again. "I don't know. I was just ... thinking it might be good to mix it up instead of just learning kicks and hits."

"I thought you wanted a sparring partner," K said at a whisper over Kate's shoulder as she crossed her arms over her chest. "Looks like you have two for that kind of thing."

Kate grinned at her brilliantly. "Yeah, but I think Kurt just wants to stretch? He's not entirely healed up yet. So let him play with his best friend. You and I can let them do their thing."

K looked toward the two men for a moment. "Fine, but I'm still not sure what we're doing."

Kate leaned toward her with an embarrassed sort of smile. "Honestly? If you don't want to spar, you can just stick around for the instructions portion? I just ... need someone to hold my arms for the hold bit that's _not_ Kurt, because then I'll _never_ learn, and Logan needs to show me how to get out?"

"Oh," K said quietly. "You want me to be the bumbling bad guy. That ... well. I'll have to just get stupider to do that right."

"Like I said — I'm not Scott. I get you don't like evals. I just need a partner. And we can spar later _if you want to._ "

"Okay, sure," K said, relaxing a bit before she gestured to the three of them. "No one's going to have kittens if I just, you know, _don't_ put on a costume?"

"Do you have a uniform?" Kurt asked politely.

She laughed lightly and shook her head. "They found me tending bar. I have bluejeans and a tank top. Outside of an ID reader, what else do I need to perform my sovereign duty?" K asked with a little self-depreciating smile.

Kurt grinned. "Then that'll do just fine," he assured her.

"I had to ask — tall, dark, and … uptight was pushing for some … outfit. And I'm not down with that on the first date." The guys smirked at the little joke, and both of them relaxed a bit.

"Scott likes rules. He's just like that," Kate said, rolling her eyes.

"Okay then," K said, stepping back with her arms crossed over her middle to see what Kate needed to learn as Logan walked her through the first hold and how to get out of it, though when Kate seemed to be having some trouble breaking the hold, K watched them carefully with her eyes narrowed.

He was trying to show her a way out of a wrist hold to start with, but it was pretty clear to her that Kate was reluctant to try the complicated little twist when a bad move might damage her wrist.

"That ... doesn't always work for girls," K said suddenly, though it looked as if she regretted saying something the moment she opened her mouth. Particularly when the other three occupants of the room all stopped and turned her way with interested expressions. K let her shoulders drop as she sighed. "Women don't usually have as much of a grip to do it that way. Don't pull — don't twist away. Go forward toward him and roll your wrist down. _Into_ the pressure, not away."

Kate looked over at K in surprise, then broke into a grin. "Show me?" she asked.

She paused but walked over and stood behind Kate — Logan's grip still in place — and she held up her arm to just show her how to work the break. But she stopped short of stepping in herself. "Drive forward and twist into his grip — it'll work."

Kate nodded, set her jaw, and let out a surprised little noise of triumph when the break worked. "Ooh, Logan. Watch out. I may start cheating on you with the new girl."

"Breakin' a hold like that leaves you open to all kinds of attacks," Logan pointed out as he let out a bit of a breath and tried to ignore the bouncing Kate. "Your assailant could just grab you higher up."

"I thought you were just doing breaks," K replied as she crossed her arms again. "And that works better for girls."

"Well, I mean, it's sort of comprehensive training?" Kate explained sheepishly. "I asked him to help me get up to snuff to fight the bad guys the X-Men are used to. You know. Since I'm the non-mutant mascot," she teased.

With her head tipped to the side a bit, K took a few steps back. "I'll just stand back and watch," K assured her, putting her hands up in front of her. "Don't let me slow you down."

"No, no. That was super helpful. Feel free to jump in anytime," Kate said quickly. "I like learning. I mean — _everything_. If it'll help me fight? I want to know it."

Kurt tipped his head at the two women and smirked K's way. "You know," he said thoughtfully. "I've learned from teaching Kate that she does better if she can see a move in action. Why don't you show us how you'd do it?"

"You … are one sneaky little punk. I thought I said I didn't _want_ to do an eval," K said stubbornly. "I don't care how you re-word it."

"It's not an evaluation — it's an example," Kurt reasoned with a little chuckle and a kind smile.

"Yeah, I ... don't know," K answered slowly as she stuck her hands in her back pockets and shrugged one shoulder up a bit.

Logan gave her a little smirk. "Unless you're scared." She narrowed her eyes a little and bit her lip as she met his gaze.

"You know what? Okay, fine. Just don't get mad when I whip you," K replied as she brushed her hands off on her jeans and then smoothed the fabric of her shirt over her stomach. She squared up with Logan with her hands on her hips, and he looked like he was just holding back a smile.

"You're not going to just do the hold, are you?" she asked flatly when she slid her hands into a more ready stance.

The smirk turned into a crooked smile, and he just shook his head before he reached out and took her wrist in the hold. She let out a breath through her lips before she met his gaze and broke loose of the grip in a flash. As soon as she'd taken the step forward to break the grip, he grabbed her other arm and spun her around to hold her arms down in a bear hug from behind.

"Not such a great idea now, is it?" he asked over her shoulder, and she twisted in his arms to try and break loose, but he had her locked in pretty tightly. "I can teach you how to get out."

"I don't need you to teach me. Let go before I get mean," K warned quietly before she looked at him over her shoulder as much as she was able. "I don't like being held down, and I don't want to embarrass you in front of your friends."

"The whole point of this is to show her how to get out," Logan said easily. "So don't worry. If you think you can get out — go ahead and try. You can't hurt me."

K glanced up at Kate and a very amused Kurt before she tipped her head to the side. "If you say so." She took a moment to look over not only how he had her but the general area too.

With a low growl, K stomped down at his foot, but he was waiting for it and moved at the last moment, half chuckling at her approach. Before he could get his feet squared up under his center, she pushed backward hard and knocked him over — even though he took her with him.

She had been trying to pull away from him, but when they hit the mats, she positively threw her head backward and smashed him in the face. The shock was enough that his grip loosened just enough for her to throw an elbow into his stomach and break his grip. Kate was sure that K would rush to get away from him, but before she got to her feet, she spun around to kick him in the head.

Logan just barely got his hand up in time to stop K from nailing him in the side of the head. He just stared at her for a split second before growling at her and pulling her foot under his arm as he got above her and pulled her along with him.

"Hey, give it up before you hurt yourself," he told her — though it was clear to Kurt at least that Logan hadn't been expecting an actual spar out of K. And while it was the kind of thing that Logan usually lived for — it was pretty clear he didn't want it to escalate.

K let out a breath and shot him a little smile, with one eyebrow arched up. "Why? Are you scared?" she almost purred before she drew back with her free leg and swept his legs out from under him. When he hit the ground, he tried to grab her arm and stop her from slipping away, but slipping away had never been in the plan, and as he reached out, she whipped her legs up to lock his head between her knees. "Feel free to tap out any time, tough guy."

"I should've brought popcorn," Kate whispered to Kurt, whose smirk at watching K and Logan fight just kept growing wider by the minute.

Logan shifted to try and catch K in the same leg hold she had him, but she broke the hold he had on her arm and reached up to grab him between the legs. "Are you done?" K asked.

It took another moment or so, but to Kate's surprise — Logan tapped out. "We need to get her a uniform," Kurt said with a little laugh.

"D'you think she'd wear purple?" Kate giggled.

"Not my color," K replied from the ground as she just sat down indian style, and Logan propped himself up on his elbows and just ... stared at her for a moment.

"Well, if you say so," Kate said with a heavy sigh. "But you had some pretty great suggestions for mine."

"I ... don't know that I need anything _flashy._ " She finally shot Logan a little smirk as he offered her his hand to get up. "I'd rather stay under the radar."

"So, yellow and blue?" Kate teased Logan's way.

"Great color combo, but that'd be a no," K said with a little laugh. "Though the stripes are a nice touch."

"Everybody loves the stripes," Kurt laughed, grinning Logan's way.

"Just you, Elf."

"Did … you boys have any other plans tonight, or was it just having us kick your butts?" K asked. "Because ... you know. You don't need an appointment for that."

Kate just laughed and clapped her hand on K's shoulder. "That was beautiful," she said. "Please show me some of that later."

"Might need a volunteer," she said with a little smirk.

"You can't break my Elf," Kate countered. "Break the other one."

"He doesn't seem very breakable," K answered. "And I don't think he wants to play with me again. Mr. Quiet all of a sudden."

Kate just leaned forward with her hands in her pockets and a wide grin on her face. "Not always. Watch this," she whispered with a mischievous giggle. She turned to Logan with a wide smirk. "Look, giant hug magnet, are you gonna teach me things or not?"

"I'll teach you to not call me that," he said with a little growl.

"Oh, but then you would be making me a _liar_."

"A lie by omission is still a lie," K agreed. "So, is that your official title? Hug Magnet?"

"No," he answered wearily. "Not even close."

"He also answers to Radar O'Reilly and Grandpa," Kate said.

"Ooh, that ... is not good," K said with a little cringe. "Maybe I should leave you three to … whatever this is."

"And miss the picking?" Kurt asked with a smirk.

"I think the picking will happen if I'm here or not," she pointed out as she rolled her shoulder to her ear.

"Yes, but it's so much more fun with an audience," Kurt said. "Because neither of them like to lose publicly."

"Oh. well. Then maybe we should both walk away and let them work it out. Come to terms with it," K suggested.

Kurt broke into a wide grin and pretended to look thoughtful. "Yes, perhaps they just need some time to stop being so stubborn. I'm sure privacy is all it takes to fix _that_ ," he teased.

K stopped and spun to face him before she took a few measured steps forward. "You are not subtle. At all." She paused and smirked. "I appreciate that."

He grinned back at her. "I _am_ the drama teacher," he said with a little bow.

"Well that just explains everything," she said. "I'd offer to take you out — all of you," she said toward Kate. "But I'm apparently on house arrest for the time being." She walked over and simply leaned on Logan's shoulder. He paused just a fraction of a second before he put his arm around her back in response, and she just stepped in a hair closer. "So. What's fun around here outside of a little fight — where we _won't_ be watched every second?" She glanced up at the booth where Jubilee had slipped in at some point during the back-and-forth and was just ... glaring her way.

"Well, it's not too cold for a swim in the lake," Kate said with a smirk Logan's way. "But you know, we can go anywhere we want without leaving the room."

She tipped her head to the side and slowly shook it. "No, I think fresh air would be in order — but I doubt swimming is the right thing." She shrugged up to her ears. "I don't have a suit — and even if you all do, I have rules about being the only one naked. And your Elf isn't an exhibitionist. _He says._ "

Kate smirked at Kurt's expression at that and leaned over to kiss him. "Aw, it's okay, sweetheart. She doesn't know you're shy," she teased.

" _Die Schatze_ ," K whispered with a little laugh that Logan just smirked at, still watching her out of the corner of his eye as she teased Kurt and Kate.

"Who says you can't go out?" Logan asked suddenly as he turned her way. "Because I don't remember that being a rule that anyone ever gave a damn about."

"Sunglasses," K replied, and Logan just smirked a bit wider.

"Whenever you're ready then — we'll go." Logan told her.

"Are you serious?" K asked and just gave him a smile when he nodded.

"You promised me horseback riding," Kate reminded K with a wide grin.

"Do you all know how to ride? You can try to keep up," K offered. "Or I can show you how if you need coaching."

"If you need to, you can hold onto me," Kate said in a whisper to Kurt, illustrating her point by taking his hands in hers to pull them around her waist.

"Tempting offer," Kurt replied as he gave her a little squeeze. "But we both know how."

"Well, my dad bought my sister a whole riding stable when she was a teenager," Kate said. "Didn't stick with Susan, but it's still well-kept if we want to just pop over. See how many horses there are and how much sharing is necessary," she added with a teasing smirk as she tipped her head back to look up at Kurt.

"I'm game if you are," K said with a little smirk. "Boys?"

Kurt looked to Logan, and when he just shrugged openly, a few of the bamfs latched onto K and Logan as Kurt just held Kate a bit tighter, and in a few poofs of smoke, they were gone.


	13. Knight In Shining Armor

**Notes from CC: No. That would be presumptuous to assume much on what you know so far about K in this universe. If you recall, K was on the run in this universe too - however she's had some slightly different life experiences up to this point, and frankly, I'm not letting Creed play with her anywhere NEAR as much as he does in the 906.**

 **As far as Logan's reactions - Wolvie - is no fool. And quite paranoid. So he's going to be a little bit cautious with a woman that goes by a letter. (something he should have been more cautious about in the 906 but hey. Different circumstances and I had things to get done, damnit.) But - I promise, it won't be nearly as … twisted as I originally wrote her up. Streamlining, ladies. It's a thing. MOST of the same experiences - slightly different order.**

 **Notes from robbie: Yeah, everything here is** _ **alternate**_ **universe. Sure, we're stealing K from the 906, but obviously, this is not the 906 universe. (For one thing, that universe has Kate meeting the two of them at a totally different time in their lives…) Don't worry; everything will be explained so even people who aren't familiar with the 906 (...*raises hand* *got the crib notes from CC* *not entirely caught up* *because CC says I should not read darkness because I am 'made of sunshine'*) are able to follow this story. Don't worry. We know what we're doing, and we promise everything will be addressed.**

 **But it's not the same Logan/K in the 714 as in the 906. Slightly different lived experiences mean slightly different reactions. That's how it is in all AUs, really. You can check out our 867 on the TeamAwesomeLives account for EVEN MORE ALTERNATE characters because… that's even different...er. :D **shameless plug****

* * *

 **Chapter 13:** " **Knight in Shining Armor"**

* * *

A very short time after the little group poofed out of the Danger Room, Jubilee made her way upstairs to find Scott, and she looked beyond irritated when she knocked on the open door at his office and just folded her arms.

"Your little stray just dragged off the three troublemakers," Jubilee said with a deep frown.

"Dragged them off where?" Scott asked quickly, already settling into a frown of his own.

"From the sounds of it, to Kate's — family's — I don't know? They were talking about horseback riding."

Scott settled into a glare and tipped his head Jubilee's way before he stood up and swore under his breath. "I thought it was clear she shouldn't go anywhere until we were sure Sabretooth had given up on her."

"Or we figured out who the heck she even was," Jubilee added.

Scott frowned deeper at that and paused to look her way. "Whose idea was the trip?" he asked.

"Kate offered?" she said with a frown. "But apparently it was after something K had said to her."

"Did any of them have their comms?" Scott asked.

"I … really don't know," Jubilee said. "I didn't exactly pat them down on the way in."

"Let's find out," Scott suggested. He tried Logan first, not because he thought Logan would pick up but just to get it out of the way so he could _say_ he tried, before he called Kate — who didn't answer either. But he finally got an answer when he called Kurt, and immediately, he heard the shrieks of laughter on the other end at whatever it was those four were up to. "What are you guys _doing_?" Scott half-shouted into the comm over the noise.

"We thought K could use a little fresh air," Kurt replied over the sound of Kate's delighted laughter. "We're horseback riding … just a few little games. I've got the bamfs looking out for any sign of trouble, and we'll 'port right back if we see so much as a tracksuit."

"That's not my only concern, Kurt," Scott said almost wearily. "We have no idea who the heck this woman is."

"That's not exactly a unique situation," Kurt pointed out.

"It kind of is," Scott argued. "You haven't seen the lack of any kind of intel on this girl. And I've been digging."

"Well, whoever she is, Kate seems to love her," Kurt said with a laugh as Kate's giggles filled the comms for a moment. "And she's not the only one. She seems to fit in — we can figure the rest out as we go. Have a little faith." With that, the comm went silent just seconds after they could hear Kate declare that it was 'our turn.'

Scott just stared at the comm for a moment after it went dead. "Any luck on either front?" he said finally as he looked up at Jubilee again.

"Not really, no," Jubes said. "Got my computer shut down on both searches. Again. Big Virus warning."

"The same one?" Scott asked thoughtfully. "Both SHIELD viruses, I mean?"

"Yeah, looks like," Jubilee replied easily.

"Well, that's more than we had before. At least for K — we know who's keeping us _out_ anyway," Scott said, then let out a heavy sigh. "If Logan wasn't out… doing whatever he's doing, I'd ask him to talk to Fury about this."

"They _are_ coming back, right?" Jubilee asked. "Because I have words."

Scott smirked her way. "Oh, they're coming back. And I've got words too."

Hours later, there was still no sign of the four of them, and Scott just looked more irritated with every passing hour. He was glaring at the clock. And the comms. And grumbling low to himself every time he thought about what reckless stupid thing they could possibly be doing on horseback — if that was actually what they were doing.

He wasn't alone, either. Jubilee had been pacing too — and somehow, she'd found a way to chew her bubblegum aggressively. She had moved on to texting — not only Logan, Kate, and Kurt, but Noh too — who still hadn't made an appearance. She was getting awfully sick and tired of being left out of the loop by everyone. It sucked when the X-Men did it to her as a teenager, and it sucked even more as an adult when it wasn't the X-Men in general but her stupid fuzz-faced mentor and idiot gorgeous boyfriend.

If he just wasn't so … _him_ she'd probably have dropped him by now. But she knew someone was taking advantage. And that put them in her crosshairs more than Noh. If she could get to them.

It was a little past sunset when the four wayward mansion residents teleported back onto the grounds, grinning and in high spirits, though K looked a bit dizzy as Logan held her up and Kurt apologized profusely — though all were still grinning widely as Jubilee burst out the front doors looking furious, with Scott not far behind.

"What the hell is wrong with you guys?" Jubilee half shouted. "You don't know who the heck this ... _person_ is! She could be one of the bad guys!"

K had just blinked her way, though she didn't let go of Logan — and he didn't look the least bit amused by Jubilee's greeting. "Jubes, back off," Logan said as the tone of the group seemed to drop a notch.

"And that right there — is about all the proof I need," Jubilee shouted at him finally. "Fits along with the rest of your record." Logan looked instantly pissed off, but before he could say a word, she spun on K. "Where the heck did you come from anyhow? Who are you working for that has freakin' Sabretooth looking for you?"

K just let go of Logan's arm and turned Jubes' way, though he didn't take his hand off of her waist. "That would fall into 'None of your business' on the first — and I _was_ working in a bar until very recently for the second. Any other answer doesn't work out too well for anyone. Now, as far as Creed goes? He's a grade 'A' creep. I thought you knew that."

"We can't help if we don't know what we're up against," Scott pointed out with a deep frown. "And we _definitely_ can't help if you guys run off without telling anyone where you're going!" he added, glaring at the three X-Men in the group.

K looked over at the three of them then back to Scott, unconsciously stepping in front of the three of them slightly. "Not their fault, I talked them into it. They were trying to be a good welcoming committee. I took advantage."

"You _so_ did not," Kate said, pointing a finger at K.

K pointed at her own face. "Nefarious intent." She pointed to Kate. "Sunshine and butterflies. So ...unless your extensive searching has found otherwise? That's the explanation they want to hear anyhow."

"Why don't you try the truth instead of an easy out?" Scott asked, crossing his arms.

"You're very cute when you're mad," K said before she gave him a very sad smile. "But no one wants the truth, and the easy out would be to just walk," she replied.

Scott had just taken a deep breath and looked like he was about to argue the point when, very suddenly, the alarms went off to indicate a proximity alert.

"What is that all about?" K asked as she took a step back and bumped into Logan, who obviously hadn't moved an inch.

"Uninvited company," Logan replied quietly over her shoulder as the alarms continued.

"Remember the part about saving people and fighting bad guys?" Kate grinned K's way. "So — sorry, but the parade of boys is over. For now. Now we move on to action poses."

"Criminal," she muttered quietly. "Do they _have_ to action pose? That's just … no."

"Depends on how you fight." Kate mimed her bow and arrow. "I hold mine for a bit."

"I'm not much of a fighter," K said with a little smirk Kate's way.

Kate just chortled and looked Kurt's way. "What do you think, Sir Wagner? Shall you and I stick with the damsel in distress here who absolutely can't fight Logan in a heartbeat?"

"Defenseless," K agreed as she bent down to tie her shoes again, though while she was doing so, she gently touched her ankle, where Kate could clearly see she had to have a dagger hidden, though she didn't take it out.

"Have no fear," Kurt said with a sweeping bow. "We X-Men know how to rescue defenseless damsels."

"Forgive me if I wait to see which one of you is my hero," K replied with a little laugh as she got to her feet. For someone who claimed not to be a fighter, she looked ready to go.

"Oh, it's definitely Kurt. He's the dashing hero always," Kate said without hesitation.

"He's _your_ dashing hero, sure," K said. "And you're adorable together."

The alarms continued as the gathered group watched the trees around them, just waiting for trouble. When Victor Creed finally stepped out of the treeline, he had his hands easily visible, and he was walking at a normal, easy rate, though even when he was doing his best to appear relaxed, it just wasn't very convincing. "I just want to talk," Creed called out, stopping where he knew he would be out of range of most of them. Logan was growling low, and K took just a moment to glance at him as he stepped around her, obviously blocking her from Creed's view.

Scott gave K a hard look and pointed her way before he took a few steps toward Victor. "You — stay back. You don't need to be anywhere near this." K just looked back at him with wide eyes and nodded — though it was easily clear she was humoring him. "Unless you're turning yourself over, Creed, we have nothing to talk about," Scott called out.

"Why don't you do both of us a favor and just hand the girl over. She doesn't belong to you, and I'll get her out of your hair for good," Creed said easily, as if it was a perfectly reasonable request. "Speakin' from experience, she's more trouble than she's worth."

K let out a noise of disbelief at Creed's assessment that almost had Scott turning her way, though he missed whatever it was that she had muttered low. "I think we both know that isn't going to happen," Scott said with a glare.

"Listen, I know you like trying to save the world and rehab the hopeless cases — but why don't you get real, Summers?" Creed said — though his reasonable tone had slipped back to demanding. "We all know I'm not gonna leave you alone until I get what I came for."

"The answer's still no," Scott said stubbornly. "Even if we can't help her? The last thing we'd do is hand her over to _you_."

"Have it your way," Creed answered with a growl. He was crouched low and clearly poised to strike when a streak of black, white, and green simply bowled him over faster than any of them could react — and Noh was on top of him in an instant, kneeling on his chest to get a good grip to just start wailing on him while he had the element of surprise, though it didn't take Creed long to recover and to give it right back to Noh with a growl.

Logan rushed forward with K right behind him — a glare on her face even as Scott tried to yell at her to stay back. "You're unarmed," he shouted as he tried, and failed, to grab her arm —which earned a snort from her. Scott had blasted Creed as soon as Noh was clear, but before he could take another shot, Logan got there, claws out and swinging with a snarl.

The rest of the group sort of hung back as the two of them got started, unable to take a clear shot without hitting Logan. Scott finally caught up with and yanked K backward a few steps. "Get back," he barked at her. "Just go back and let us do our jobs!"

"Of course, of course," K promised, though she had crouched down and was looking up at him like it was a coincidence.

Scott turned toward Kurt and Kate and had just opened his mouth to ask Kurt to grab her when K pulled out the dagger at her ankle. "Just — in a minute or two," she swore before she slipped away from Scott again and zipped into the fray.

She found a way to dodge around the two men as they fought — avoiding the claws and snarls without so much as a raised eyebrow until she got around to pop up behind Creed. She stayed back a step or two from him, waiting for Logan to make a move that would make sure he was out of her path before she shifted the grip on her dagger and rushed in to jam it down into Creed's back, twist hard, and then snap the blade — nearly at his spine, where there was no way he'd be able to reach it without help.

She shifted the grip again so that what little edge was left faced the outside of her hand, and she dodged back again, slipping right between his legs as he rushed her — only for K to slash him by the knee as she moved to pop up and run again — nearly dancing out of his reach while the damage from the stab and all of Logan's slashes began to catch up to him.

She kept the broken knife hilt in her hand and her eyes on the fight as she just backed away from it slowly, her hands up at shoulder level. "That's what you get for sucker punching me, jackass," K called out to him, earning herself a snarl, and Logan engaged with him again to stop his charge her way.

As soon as K was clear, Noh zipped into the space she'd occupied, following her cue with his own sharp nails to dig deeper lines into Creed where she'd gotten started as he and Logan just tried to tear Creed apart.

Scott grabbed K by the arm and pulled her back, one eye on the fight, and angry beyond words with the little woman. Kurt appeared next to them in a plume of smoke and very gently took K out of Scott's grip, which seemed to be what Scott needed as he nodded once and Kurt teleported her over to Kate.

When the fight seemed to be slowing, K tipped her head Kate's way. "So which one is my knight in shining armor again? I lost track."

Kurt just smirked. "I think we've been outdone, _Vögelchen_ ," he said to Kate, and he didn't look the least bit upset about it.

"Turns out the princess was a dragon the whole time," Kate agreed with a teasing smile K's way.

"I have no idea what you're talking about," K replied as she finally dropped the broken knife and scrubbed the blood off onto her jeans. "I just ... gave an assist."

"Small dragon then," Kate said. "The friendly, loveable kind."

"Didn't you catch the crib notes?" K asked. "I am definitely not loveable."

"Right. And I'm not wearing purple," Kate countered. "Sorry, but I don't make the rules."

As the three of them traded jabs, Noh and Logan were doing some serious damage to Creed, but it was a double blow — from opposite sides of Creed's chest — that sent the monster down and out, with Logan's claws centimeters from Noh's face and Noh's hand deep in Creed's back.

"Is that a tie?" K asked in a stage whisper. "I think that's a tie. I know the blonde lost. Terribly."

Creed fell between Logan and Noh as they both removed their claws and hands respectively, and it took Noh a second to blink out of fight mode and look toward Logan. "Thank you," he said in more or a less a gasp.

Logan frowned but nodded his head as he watched Noh. "You alright, kid?"

"My legs are still sore after the last time I tangled with Sabretooth," Noh said with an attempt at a smirk, though he swayed slightly.

"You need to go see Hank," Logan said, a bit concerned as he offered Noh a hand — like it or not.

"I'll do just that after we take this monstrosity into custody," Noh promised.

"Yeah, _we_ ," Logan told him.

Noh took a second to look at him. "He won't be going into your custody, my friend."

"I didn't say he was coming into the mansion. Don't want him in there," Logan agreed. "But I'm going with you."

"I can lift twelve times what other Kree can," Noh tried to argue.

"You can't lift yourself right now,' Logan shot back. "Shut up and take the help. I don't give a damn where he ends up as long as he's not bothering us."

Noh thought about it for a long moment and then nodded. "Alright. Then let's get going before he wakes up again. Fighting him again at this stage would be… difficult."

"He's not waking up anytime soon," K offered from the sidelines. "Don't worry."

"What makes you so sure?" Kate asked in surprise.

K tipped her chin up for a second at Creed's barely breathing body. "I snapped off a carbonadium dagger in his back. Just because he irritates me. A little." She kicked the hilt that she'd dropped earlier. "See? Snap. Probably some in his knee too."

"What on earth were you doing walking around with a carbonadium dagger anyway?" Scott asked, not even coming close to hiding the note of alarm in his voice.

"A girl needs to have a little equalizer," K replied.

"Like mace but for Big Ugly Creeps," Kate offered.

"Exactly. I didn't have room to carry a Mack truck, so the dagger had to do." She turned to face Kate and Kurt. "Those are actually pretty cheap to pick up. Russian military surplus if you know the right place to shop."

"And here I've been wasting all my time getting scarves and tee shirts," Kate said dryly.

"Clothes are overrated," K whispered.

"Why don't I believe that you had that just for Creed?" Jubilee said with her arms crossed. "There aren't that many mutants with healing abilities." K just flat ignored her poorly-veiled insinuation as Jubilee turned to Noh and Logan.

"Are you coming back?" she asked.

"After I finish making sure this one is locked away," Noh said carefully, "I will try to get back quickly."

She glanced over at Logan who simply nodded very discreetly. "Alright," Jubilee said before she stepped up and gave him a quick kiss. "If you have any trouble, I'll be on your six."

He kissed her right back, very tenderly, before he pulled back and nodded. "I wouldn't expect anything less." He kissed her cheek. "I'll see you soon — I love you," he whispered in her ear.

"Love you too," she replied just as quietly. "Be safe so I don't have to tiptoe for weeks."

"Anything you ask," he said before he took a step back and looked to Logan.

"I've got my comm," Logan said to Scott. "It's on and everything, Dad. See you soon."

"Yes," Scott said with a little glare. "You _both_ will," he added, looking more K's way than Logan's.

"I'm … right here if you wanna go," K offered, ankles crossed and hands in her pockets.

"So you want to tell me what's got Sabretooth on your tail?" he shot back. "That'd be a change."

"We covered that. Giant creep, no manners. Doesn't take 'No, please die' for an answer," she replied.

"There are some serious gaps in that answer," Scott said, arms crossed.

"Well - you could always ask HIM what his motivations are. He wasn't really forward with me on that." She pointed one finger Scott's way for a second. "In fact — he didn't say more than two words to me at the bar. So. I don't have the exacting insight you're looking for."

"Then why don't we start with something you do know — like your real name," Scott countered.

"Don't use it anymore, and you won't find it anyhow," she shot back.

"I know," he said, arms still crossed. "Or I wouldn't be here asking."

She just crossed her arms and mimicked his position perfectly — even down to the disapproving look he was giving her. "I've told you what I can already." She looked down at herself for a moment. "And this would probably be more impactful if I didn't have to look up at you."

Kate laughed outright at that, which had Scott glaring her way a bit as he turned a little redder. "She's got you there, boss man," Kate giggled. "Hard to go nose-to-nose with a giant beanpole."

"A box would just ruin the effect entirely," K agreed, though she still had the locked-jaw look.

Scott just looked redder before he glared at both of them and muttered, "See me later," K's way as he turned on his heel, clearly just done with both of them.

"I will," K agreed. "Just … put a little more strut into it as you walk away."

Scott paused and just looked even madder, if that was possible, before he half stomped off.

It didn't take Logan and Noh long to drag Creed out to a spot in the woods where they were met by some SHIELD personnel with restraints and a dampening field set up in the transport to keep Creed from trying to escape — clearly not expecting the carbonadium angle but looking rather relieved that they wouldn't have to deal with a healing Sabretooth.

The two of them made their way silently back to the mansion, where a few of their friends were still waiting — Kate, Kurt, K, and Jubilee, though Jubilee was clearly trying to stay away from the newcomer.

"Ah, the gallant knights," Kurt said as soon as they were within sight — just out of the treeline.

"Sir Wolverine and his squire," Kate corrected with a smirk as K snickered alongside them and Jubilee just rolled her eyes at the three 'responsible' adults.

Kurt just grinned over at K and nudged her with his shoulder. "Aren't you forgetting something?" he teased, jerking his head toward the two approaching fighters. "This white knight should receive a token for his bravery."

K looked actually a bit taken back by the comment. "I ... hadn't thought the joke out that far," she admitted. "What kind of token do you think?" Logan just sighed on hearing the conversation — still a good walk to where the three of them were standing and waiting to tease. But at least it was entertaining.

"I don't suppose you have a handkerchief?" Kurt laughed.

"No, and I don't hand out panties either," K replied without missing a beat.

Kate just burst out a little disbelieving laugh and shook her head at K. "No, we save that for the second save," she teased.

"Third," K corrected. "I'd like to think I'm not that easy."

"Then perhaps a kiss on the temple," Kurt suggested, his smile widening slowly.

Kate smirked. "Kurt kissed my hand when we first met. So — you know. Grain of salt with him."

"So gallant," K agreed. "Like — sixty years ago."

"It's darling," Kate said with a contented little sigh that didn't match the impish grin she was giving Kurt, who was subtly sneaking his tail around her ankle.

"You two are something else," K said with a shake of her head as Logan finally reached the little group. "Alright, but if I get hit with a sexual harassment suit, I'm calling you both on the stand." Jubilee shot Kurt a glare as K took a couple quick strides and rested her hand on the one unbloodied spot on Logan's shoulder. "They are being silly. But — this was a good way to spend the evening." She gave him a quick smirk before she just kissed him square on the mouth — and he seemed to return it, which had Jubilee making a face all the way up until the kiss broke. "I don't do temples. Thanks for taking care of the smelly jerk."

Before she could catch hell from Jubilee or get a retort from Logan, she just waved them good night, fully expecting Scott to chew her out again anyhow once she got inside. As soon as she was gone, Logan shot Kate a look and he tried to cut her off at the pass. "Don't even start."

Kate drew a halo over her head. "What, me? Pick on _you_? Never." She grinned impishly. "Not even with _so much_ material to work with, oh my _gosh_."

"If you don't say something you're going to explode, aren't you?" Logan asked, though he was already smirking.

"I can't believe you Dad'ed Scott!" Kate burst out. " _You've_ been Dad-ing _that one_ all night!" she added, pointing at Noh, who was just resting against a tree with a faint smile as he watched the show.

Logan just started chuckling at her. "He needs it — and Scott still needs to lighten up. Not that I'm surprised in the least."

"You're already practicing for when he's your son-in-law, you loon," she teased, now really getting warmed up. "Don't think I didn't see you smirking when they were all whispering in each other's ears!"

"You don't know what they said," Logan said with a little smile.

"See? That look! Right there! You're all _father-in-law glow_ over there. When're you giving him permission?" Kate asked.

"You're really on fire tonight," Logan laughed, though Kurt absolutely didn't miss the unnaturally light mood Logan was in after facing off with Sabretooth. That just — didn't happen.

"So. Much. Material." Kate was grinning ear to ear as she just shook her head at him.

"Anything else you need off your chest?" Logan asked, though he had to keep from laughing as soon as her eyes widened.

"As a matter of fact - yes," she said as she made a big show of taking a deep breath. "You gotta make an honest woman outta K now, you know? Kissing _and_ wrestling her. Shameful!" She tutted and shook her finger at him. "Kurt and I waited until we'd at _least_ killed ninjas together."

Logan let out a heavy sigh. "You're in an awful big hurry to marry me off. How about you go first."

She paused for just a second and then stuck her finger back out. "I was reliably informed you'd stop picking on me if I distracted you," she said haughtily.

"That doesn't work if you immediately start pushing him to marry the poor girl," Kurt told her at a mock whisper over her shoulder.

"It's not pushing. It's picking," Kate countered only slightly louder than Kurt had been. "Like I'd try to push that on either of them for _real_. It's just... so easy. So very, very easy."

"Get better material," Jubilee said in a flat tone with her arms crossed.

"Hey, I take what I can get with this one," Kate said with a shrug as she tipped her head Logan's way. "It's a dry, dry desert, and he's been flooding me with teasing. So you know. Little raincloud named K? I'll play for one night of shining knight teasing."

"That's all you're gonna get," Jubilee half whispered as she headed over to Noh.

"Well I guess if that's all you got, I could do a lot worse," Logan told her, frowning Jubilee's way.

Kate just grinned and ran over to kiss him on the cheek. "Oh, stop looking like that. I just like to pick." She patted his arm. "And trust me. There will be teasing, oh Sir Wolverine of the Mighty SHIELD-jet Stealers."

"Title needs some work," he told her. "And I need a shower. Unless you want Creed blood on you." He took a few steps her direction — arms spread wide ready to pay her back for all the hug magnet nonsense.

She made a face. "No, thank you," she said, shaking her head as she dodged behind Kurt, who was just chuckling at the two of them. "You go clean up nice. I'll just take my noble Elf and go… come up with a better title for you."

"Yeah, have fun defiling the sweet little Elf," Logan countered. "Think about makin' an honest demon outta him. Before he gets a reputation."

Kate just pointed at her face. "Evil purple seductress."

"So you know? Most evil seductresses don't have just one target," Logan pointed out. "Not that I'm fishing. Just thought you should know _that_ title needs some work too."

"I am not like most ... anybody, really," Kate said as she tossed her hair over her shoulder in her most snooty impression.

"Purple little ball of sunshine," he grumbled.

"Stripey grandpa hug magnet."

"No hugs lately," Logan said, smirking again as he walked backward away from her.

"That's true. Just kisses. Step up your game, hug magnet."

"I'd consider it — if I was a hug magnet."

" _Giant_ hug magnet," Kate corrected.

"No hugs!" Logan called back. "So you're wrong."

Kate just laughed as the door closed behind Logan, and she stood up on her toes to tell Kurt at a low whisper, "Oh, now I'm going to have to fix that."

"What's your plan, oh, Evil Purple Seductress?" Kurt said with a laugh.

Kate tipped her head to the side as her gaze slipped past Kurt, just for a moment, to the nearest bamf. "Oh, I'm sure our small army of little demons would be more than happy to fix the whole 'no hugs' situation." When he broke into a little grin at that, she just kissed him while she was still up on her toes. "But you know, first? I think I need to defend my seductress title."

"Oh, absolutely," Kurt agreed with a little laugh before he pulled her tighter for another kiss, and the two of them vanished in a puff of smoke, leaving Noh and Jubilee out in the lawn alone.

Noh was still leaning heavily against the tree but smiled at Jubilee warmly as he waved her over for a hug. "See? I told you I would return quickly," he said.

She sighed and very gently put a finger in the center of his chest. "Yeah, but lately? 'Quickly' and 'soon' don't seem to mean much with you."

"And I'm truly sorry about that," Noh said earnestly as he leaned over to press a kiss to her forehead. "Let me make it up to you."

"You can only _try._ "

He smirked at that and leaned over even further as he simply began to kiss her neck, slowly and tenderly. "If I were not so tired, I would carry you off right now," he whispered low in her ear. "And apologize for all my faults as best I can."

"That might take some time," she teased with a smile and leaned into him, wrapping her arms around his middle, though she was surprised when that had him swaying, and she pulled back with a frown.

When he saw the look on her face, he let out a breath. "I haven't started to heal yet," he explained. "Unlike Logan, I need food _prior_ to healing, not after the fact."

"Then that's what we should get you," she said, still frowning as she much more gingerly put an arm around his waist and started to lead him back to the mansion, going in through the door to the kitchen rather than the front door.

He got started right away with anything from the pantry that he didn't have to prepare, just feeding his healing before anything else as he ate an entire box of granola bars and two bagels while Jubilee was frying eggs and sausages, knowing from experience with Logan that protein was best. Already, some of the color was starting to come back to his face, and he no longer felt like he was going to fall asleep — or simply unconscious — right there at the table.

Though that wasn't saying much — it was more a measure of how badly used his body had been for the past little while that remaining upright was a victory than anything else, and when Jubilee saw that he was wincing through the motion of getting a couple plates down from the cupboard, she frowned at him and shook her head.

"I'm getting Hank," she decided, then turned and put a finger in his chest. "And _you_ are _not_ going anywhere, mister."

He put his hands up in a gesture of surrender. "I am here to stay tonight," he promised. "I will be here when you return."

She narrowed her eyes at him, frustrated that she didn't fully believe him. "You better be," she said before she zipped off at a run, not only because she thought he needed some serious looking after from the good Dr. Fuzzy but because she didn't want to leave him alone for too long or he might do something _stupid_.

But Hank wasn't in his lab, like Jubilee has thought. In fact, he had come up to investigate the alarms — and he had found his way to the kitchen to have a _word_ with the Kree fighter at their kitchen table who could hardly keep his eyes open to eat to heal his own body.

"Still pushing the envelope, are we?" Henry asked suddenly, his glare solidly focused at Noh. "Or is it that you simply wish for me to rend your arms from your body?"

Noh glanced up at Hank and looked almost resigned. "You are perfectly within your rights to do so. I certainly can't stop you," he said softly, his voice far more strained when it was just the two of them than when he was trying not to worry Jubilee. "And I confess I'm too tired to belabor the point with you in any case."

Hank let out a noise that fell somewhere between a sigh and a growl. "Then why is it that you refuse to do what's best for your own health and her peace of mind?" The anger in his glare didn't ebb in the slightest though.

Noh took in a deep breath as he clearly weighed out his next words. "To be honest, Dr. McCoy, I would love nothing more than to spend several weeks healing and giving her the undivided attention she deserves," he said. "And the more I find that I cannot do just that, the more I wonder if I _should_ return here. It's selfish of me."

Henry paused as he listened to Noh's side of things and seemed to let out a good deal of his anger with his breath. "In all cases, I find honesty to always be the best policy," Hank said. "And for as irritating as you are getting to be to me as you push and trip on every promise you've made — If you take that choice from her, I will hunt you down."

Anything else that might have transpired between the two of them was cut short as Jubilee returned with a dramatic sigh. "Of all the times for you to be out of your lab — does it _always_ have to be when I go looking for you?" she asked as she made her way over to give Henry a little hug with one arm. "Have you looked over my big, stupid boyfriend yet? He got into a little throwdown."

"No, he didn't mention that he needed my services," Henry replied, eyes flashing in warning as he made his way over to Noh. He started to check out the worst of the wounds, and to Noh's surprise, Henry didn't try to cause him any further injury or pain as he assessed him, though when Jubilee turned the other way and Noh started to say something, he did very quickly and discreetly manage to jam his thumb into a pressure point near his ribs. "Oops," he said in an almost airy tone. "I'm sure you'll live for now."

"Any special directions?" Jubilee asked.

"Eat up, rest, and come see me before you leave the house again if you're having trouble bouncing back too," Hank said. "Since it's clear that you can't do this alone."

Noh seemed to be a little wary of saying anything after the jab earlier, so he simply nodded his agreement to Hank's terms and then glanced Jubilee's way with a small, self-deprecating smile. "Will you join me, then?" he asked quietly.

"Of course," she said with a much warmer smile than she'd been wearing earlier. "Anything you need."


	14. Lies By Omission

**Notes from CC: Yes! Protective Jubes is FUN to play with bc you KNOW she would at least try to watch out for him. After all she's seen him go through with Mariko, and that hot minute when Silver Fox returned, and all the ladies here and there … and that nasty little Viper marriage …. She has a RIGHT to be protective. And Scott still needs to be shaken up from time to time. It's healthy. ;)**

 **From robbie: Kate says it's fun to be enthusiastic about this whole thing because Logan has been teasing her for so long that she has** _ **ammunition**_ **now. And she's not about to give that up anytime soon :P**

* * *

 **Chapter 14** " **Lies By Omission"**

* * *

Warbird felt her lip curling back into a sneer when she saw the little firecracker heading upstairs with a full tray of food — leftovers from the dinner everyone else had enjoyed while the so-called warrior of the Kree languished in bed.

She'd heard the rumors, though even she couldn't hope that the worst of what the students were saying was true, that he was dying. He was a thorn in her side; she couldn't be rid of him that easily. She wasn't that lucky. But from what she had seen, at least some of the rumors were true — he was weak, ill-used. Had this been any other world, he wouldn't be a problem anymore to her. No one would weep for him if Warbird simply dispatched him.

But here, infuriatingly, he had _allies_. Even, somehow, a lover with the X-Men. How he had managed this was still beyond her understanding, and as Warbird watched Jubilee head upstairs with her tray, she found she simply couldn't keep her thoughts to herself any longer.

"Playing nursemaid again, I see," she said, not bothering to hide the sneer as she caught up to Jubilee.

Jubilee shot her a deep glare. "What — jealous you can't get the same attention from Bobby?" she shot back.

Warbird stopped and fell into a glare that matched hers. "I would _never_ degrade myself to _need_ such attention. I am not so _weak_."

Jubilee's eyes flashed, and she drew herself up to her full height — which was, admittedly, much shorter than Warbird — as she put a finger in the Shi'ar fighter's face. "Why don't you keep your nose out?" she challenged, sparks flying from the fingertip of the index finger in Warbird's face.

For a long moment, Warbird just met Jubilee's glare with her own before she simply shook her head with a dark chuckle. "Fine. Waste your time then. Waste your efforts and your resources — but when he leaves again, don't expect any _pity_." With that, she spun on her heel and stalked away, nose in the air.

The color rose up in Jubilee's cheeks, and without really meaning to, a small plasmoid launched that caught up in Warbird's feathers as Jubilee turned on her heel and walked off.

* * *

It was early morning, and Kate was absolutely dead to the world when three bamfs pounced on her all at once with insistent chattering as another two forcibly picked her head up off the pillow and jammed a headband crookedly on her head.

"What — what's going on?" Kate slurred out, still half asleep as she had a face full of one bamf who had grabbed her on either side of her face and was chattering slower than the others to try and get her to understand him. "It's too early for this," she groaned, trying to escape, but they simply wouldn't let her.

"Kurt!" she said, trying to more or less call for backup, but his side of the bed was empty — he must have already gone down to breakfast. "Oh, I've been abandoned," she muttered as the chattering got more insistent. She turned her attention to the bamf in her face. "I can't understand you. It's too early. Why. Why did you wake me up this early?"

The bamf let out a loud sigh of frustration, and a moment later, she found herself in the kitchen, still in her pajamas with her hair askew and the headband tangled in her bedhead, though the bamfs _had_ tried to tame it. They had taken her straight to the coffee, and two of them were already pouring her a cup, while another one pushed the new brand out further on the counter and pointed at it with insistent chattering.

"Who the heck switched coffee on me?" Kate asked in disbelief as the bamf just nodded triumphantly at finally being understood.

"If you hate it, I'll just keep it in my room," K said distractedly over the paper she was reading next to Logan. "But it's really, ridiculously smooth."

Kate turned to face K in disbelief only to see that two of the bamfs were hovering just above K and Logan's heads and just _pointing_ with wide eyes at the two of them sharing a newspaper and sitting comfortably close together. For all the hubbub that Jubilee and Scott had raised, it looked like Logan and K had come to some kind of an understanding — if how close they were to each other was an indicator.

Kate blinked at them for a moment before she nodded at the bamfs and looked past them at Kurt, who was sitting at the table with his own mug and a very obvious smirk.

"Your little demons decided they couldn't wait for me this morning," Kate accused him.

"You know what my favorite part is?" Kurt said to her with a grin, obviously in high spirits. "When you're in a good mood, they're _our_ little friends, but when they wake you too early, they're _my_ little demons."

She let out a little huff and pulled the headband out of her still tangled hair to stuff it in her pocket. "They woke me up before coffee. To talk... about coffee. Honestly." She shook her head at the bamfs that were making presentation hands at the cup of coffee they'd poured her.

" _Es tut mir leid_ , _Schatz,_ " he said with a grin. "They know you love it."

She just snorted quietly and took the cup the bamfs had made, ruffling their hair with one hand before she took a sip and raised her eyebrows over the top of her coffee at K as she had to admit K was right — this stuff was _good_. "Okay. Fashion designer and coffee connoisseur."

"I've been drinking coffee since I was five," K said without looking up. "You become an expert after a while."

"Apparently." Kate smirked and took a quick look at the brand name on the yellow bag so she could make a mental note to buy more. She looked back at K, who still had a bamf floating over her head with insistently wide eyes, and she just had to chuckle. "How long you been up?"

"Few hours," K replied. "I get up with the sun." She finally looked up at Kate. " _That_ is the second pot."

"I am _not_ waking up that early, even to get the first pot," Kate countered with an exaggerated yawn.

"The point is that you don't have to — the first pot is going to be gone long before you get up," K teased. "Even if I don't have help."

"Well, it's a good thing I have my own coffee maker in my office," Kate said philosophically.

"I'll be by to say hello," she told her. "I'm an all-day, half-the-night coffee drinker."

"You're a thief," Kate countered with a little laugh as she slid into the seat next to Kurt and gave him a kiss on the cheek.

"Not very often," K teased with an incredibly troublemaking look on her face.

Kate stuck her tongue out at K and just leaned her head on Kurt's shoulder. "I'm just lucky it's cold enough I was wearing _pajamas_ when they came to get me," she whispered to him.

"It wouldn't have bothered our coffee friends," Kurt replied. "Might even have started a trend." He gave her a wide grin and kissed the top of her head. "Next time perhaps."

"You first," she teased.

"I just might," he countered.

She just laughed and pulled her arm through his, content to almost fall back asleep on his shoulder now that she'd seen the 'news' the bamfs were so insistent on. "Careful making promises like that around your little demons."

"As if I _need_ our little friends to make good on promises like that," Kurt said with a low growl.

She tipped her head up to look at him with an impish grin. "Oh, I dunno. They beat you to the punch kissing me," she teased. "Seems to me like you're just slow on the uptake."

"If you wanna see his naked, blue, furry ass, take it upstairs," Logan grumbled. "We won't complain, but you do that crap down here and you're gonna have Summerses all over you."

"I _was_ upstairs," Kate said, now turning the force of her impish grin on Logan. "And shame on you giving K ideas."

"But it's a good idea," K said, looking completely innocent with wide eyes.

Kate just giggled. "I don't need your help to corrupt my Elf, thank you very much," she said with mock seriousness before she leaned forward and added in a whisper, "He's a good Catholic boy."

"Oh, who said I was talking about your Elf?" K asked sitting up a lot straighter and leaning forward with a wicked grin. "But Catholic boys ….those … are so much fun to play with. I used to really like breaking them."

Kate gasped in mock horror. "I would _never_ break my sweet, innocent, beautiful—"

"Oh, but you should. It's wonderful."

Kurt looked between them and let out a resigned sigh. "I don't think I even need to be present for this conversation."

"But you wanna be, don't you?" K teased. "Grab your rosary. I'll wait."

Kate shook her finger at K with a little tut. "No, no. Mine. I'm very possessive, I'll have you know."

"I know, I just ... look at his expression. And I said I _used to_ like breaking them," K said with a little laugh as she leaned back in her chair, which Logan was resting his arm along the back of. "It's just way too easy when you bring in props, though."

Kurt's tail was switching in the air behind him as he looked between the two of them, and Kate had to laugh before she just kissed his cheek in a clear apology.

"I'm sorry, sweet little blue Elf," K said earnestly. "I promise that in spite of any teasing I may subject you to, I would never ever follow through on the possible sexual harassment stuff. Okay? We good?"

He let out a sigh as he looked to K — and then to Logan. "And I thought I had my hands full just with my best friend. Now ... there are three of you."

"If it eases the pain, they're gonna get it too," K promised. "You know. As long as I'm around anyhow."

"Oh, you have to _at least_ stick around for the Halloween party next week," Kate said earnestly. "I put one together last year, and it was _beautiful_. This year? This year, I have plans again."

"It's been a while since I've been to a Halloween party," K said with a nod. "And I guess it's not _that_ far off."

"Great!" Kate beamed at her and seemed to be considering options. "You know, with Sabretooth all locked up, we should totally get some shopping done. I've got _my_ costume... "

"I need some shopping anyhow," K said as she glanced down. "I mean. I'm fine cleaning out your t-shirts, but come on."

That had one of the bamfs giggling madly before another two of them teleported over to perch on her shoulders, both of them holding cups of coffee that simply looked to be too big for them before they both tumbled over into her lap, coffee and all, giggling madly the entire time.

K sucked in a quick breath as the coffee hit her and crossed her arms over her chest for a second before she glared down at the little imps. "That … just illustrated my point."

The two bamfs who had fallen over didn't look sorry at all as they were still giggling, but the first one grabbed up a couple napkins and very seriously patted at the smallest spot on her jeans — the shirt all but soaked.

"Thank you," she said through her teeth, glaring down at them. "That ... you're really not supposed to use hot coffee for a wet tee shirt contest. Thanks."

That had the two troublemaking bamfs giggling all over again and teleporting over to start filling up cups full of water at the sink.

"They better be rinsing those mugs, or I'm going to skin them alive," K warned with a little growl that had Logan chuckling as he took off his flannel shirt and offered it to her.

"That ought to help for a little bit anyhow," he told her. She gave him a sideways smile but quickly let him slip it over her shoulders before she wrapped it around herself with a little 'thank you'.

Kurt shook his head at the bamfs and pointed a finger at the two at the sink to utter a string of threatening-sounding German before he turned to K. "They're usually _slightly_ better behaved than this," he promised her with a bit of a smirk.

"Why do I not believe you?" K asked with a smirk of her own.

"Because a) they're little demons and b) so is he," Kate said, still nestled into Kurt's shoulder.

"And he's lying through his teeth," Logan rumbled.

K looked his way and nodded her head. "Yep. that's it," she agreed.

Kurt shrugged lightly. "Maybe I just try to give them the benefit of the doubt," he teased. "They are marginally more civilized than they were when we first met."

K leaned over to Logan with a significant expression on her face. "Catholic. Always wanna believe they can fix it."

He just chuckled a bit under his breath and nodded as the two of them went back to the now slightly soggy newspaper, though it didn't pass either Kurt or Kate's notice that Logan had much more overtly put his arm around K and that she had definitely leaned into him while they read together. It was downright cozy, really.

The group of them had fallen into almost a comfortable silence for a moment before they were joined by Annie, who looked suspiciously at the bamfs at the sink. "Oh, are you cleaning up after yourselves now?" she asked pointedly.

"They are _now_ ," Kate said under her breath, smirking.

Annie just shook her head at the bamfs and then nodded a greeting to the others as she made herself some sweet tea to start the morning. She sat down at the table and had to smile at Kate and Kurt, especially when Kate was clearly content to fall nearly back asleep right there at the table, still on her first cup of coffee. "What are you doing up so early?" she asked.

"His fault," Kate said, tapping Kurt in the chest without bothering to open her eyes all the way.

"No, no," Kurt said shaking his head. "They have minds of their own."

"Still gonna blame you, sweetheart," she said tiredly. "Because then you have to make it up to me."

"In that case, I take full responsibility," Kurt replied as he tipped his head down to hers.

"See? All your fault," Kate said, grinning as she kissed him.

"And I thought that my tea was sweet," Annie said with a little shake of her head. "You gotta stop that. There are children present."

"Little demons don't count," Kate said without taking her eyes off of Kurt.

K shook her head as she got up, still holding the flannel shut as she went for a refill. "Then should I blame you for the unscheduled coffee shower?"

"No, that was all them. He's only making things up to _me_ ," Kate said as she finally shot a smirk K's way and then pointed lazily at her own face. "Possessive," she added in a teasing whisper.

"Oh, well I wasn't going to kiss him for it," K replied. "And I'm pretty sure the term is 'territorial', which ... I get it."

"Heaven help whoever that is," Kate teased. "They'll never make friends again."

"Why would they want to?" K asked as she looked down at her shirt and shook her head. "Ridiculous. I was already awake."

"Shopping later," Kate promised. "We still need to get you a costume — which reminds me." She turned a little more from Kurt so she could face Annie. "Alright, I've got a proposal for you, so you're not Annie anymore. You're Mrs. Boss."

"Mrs. Boss _Lady_ ," K added.

"Yes that." Kate grinned at K and then looked back to Annie. "So, Mrs. Boss Lady — I'm throwing an epic Halloween bash at the mansion ... unless you or Scott had plans for the mansion?" she asked carefully. "I mean — we threw one last year, and the students _and_ staff loved it."

"Those that went," Kurt said with a significant look Logan's way.

Annie looked between Kate and Kurt with a bemused smile. "I just thought we were decorating for trick-or-treaters," she said. "Scott told me about Storm's… mood lighting."

"Well, yeah, the kids can still come get candy. We keep a rotation on who gives it out," Kate assured her. "But, seriously. Costumes. Dancing. Apple cider!" She grinned widely. "You should _totally_ do a couple's costume with the boss man. Please. _Please_."

"I love that idea," Annie said with a little laugh. "But I'm not sure what would be appropriate."

Kate shot a look at Logan and said, without looking at Annie, "I bet I could get his hair to do that. Give him some mutton chops…. Some tiger stripes…"

Annie giggled at the mental image and shook her head. "And what would I go as?"

"The teddy bear," Kate said without hesitation.

Logan just half dropped his mug on the table as he let out a sigh at Kate. "You are ridiculous."

She beamed at him and put her fingers up on either side of her head. "What can I say? The half-demon boyfriend is rubbing off on me."

"Careful, that's how you get little demons," Logan said pointedly, which had Kurt shooting him a _look_.

"Okay, quit torturing him — you're going to need to figure something out for me," K said as she bumped Kate's shoulder with hers. "That — that's too easy."

"He really is," Kate agreed with a giggle before she turned to look K over with an appraising look. "Hmm. Cowgirl would be too easy. We need something _bolder_."

"She could always come as the damsel in distress," Kurt said with a subdued smirk. "I'm sure there are princess costumes to spare."

"Princess? Oh … no no no," K said shaking her head.

" _Too_ bold," Kate teased. "She should be a dragon."

"I may or may not know how to breathe fire," K replied as she took a sip and headed back to her seat.

Kate giggled. "You could always be your own knight in shining armor," she teased.

"A loser in aluminum foil? No, I don't think so. Let's just find something that's not totally awful and/or totally slutty and call it a day."

"Okay, but that just means we'll be wading through Captain Marvel costumes all day," Kate said with a serious expression. "It's like the shops forgot there's more than one of us ladies."

"Interesting conundrum," K said with a slow nod. "We may have to improvise."

Kate leaned forward with a twinkle in her eye. "Wait 'til you see mine. I'm getting my reality-altering friend to do it."

"I don't suppose he could come up with something for me to wear? Something reality defying."

Kate grinned. "You know, I bet he could. We should invite him along for our shopping trip."

"Your call," K replied. "I'm just … kind of along for the ride for now."

"You really don't have to go all-out if you don't want to," Annie assured K. "You can always just borrow something of ours if you like. I'll probably steal my sister's costume. She and Anton were Robin Hood and Maid Marian last year."

K stopped and looked up at Annie over her mug, just frozen for a moment. "You're … so he's going to go as Robin Hood?"

"Why not?" Annie shrugged lightly. "Green's not a bad color on him."

K just smirked and glanced up at Kate, who was clearly trying oh-so-hard not to laugh hysterically. "Yes. I approve of this plan of action."

"While we're shopping, I'll buy you a camera," Kate snickered.

"Who's going shopping?" Jubilee asked as she and Noh entered the kitchen, apparently joined at the hip as Jubilee had him by the hand and didn't seem to be about to let go. Ever.

Not that Noh was of any different mind — he was supposed to be resting, but even with orders to stay in bed, he wanted to come with Jubilee to breakfast and spend as much time with her as possible.

Jubilee looked around the assembled group with a smile that turned quickly into a glare when she saw K and Logan sharing the newspaper — and apparently sharing clothes.

"K needs a Halloween costume," Kate explained with a shrug and a smile.

"Is she going to be around for that long?" Jubilee asked with her chin tipped up a bit. Logan just glanced up at her with a look but didn't say anything, while K seemed to feign deafness suddenly.

"Even if she finds a different home, I would hope any of our friends would feel invited to come to the party despite the distance," Noh said politely. "It was a lovely evening last year. I certainly enjoyed myself," he said with a winning smirk Jubilee's way.

She let out a breath and gave him a tight smile. "Totally different situation, sweetheart."

"But the same party, yes? Have you found a DJ?" Noh asked Kate's way, and when Kate just smirked at him, he grinned. "I would like to volunteer my services."

"Like I'd ask anyone else before you," Kate said with a snort that just had Noh grinning wider as he started to make pancakes at the stove.

"Are the two of you going to wear a costume together?" K asked Jubilee, clearly ignoring the younger woman's irritation in favor of an attempt to be nice.

"Jubilee has been bringing me things to read while she has forced me into resting," Noh said matter-of-factly. "And I've been quite enjoying the collected works from _Calvin and Hobbes_."

K brightened up a bit. "So you're going as Calvin and Hobbes? That's adorable."

"Well," Noh said with a smirk. "Jubilee thought it would be… funnier if she was Spaceman Spiff."

K grinned widely and laughed outright. "Oh yes, much, much better."

He flipped the pancake without looking at it. "She has wonderful ideas, my Jubilee."

"I'm sure she does," K replied. "Or at least — so I've heard." She glanced at Logan with a smirk.

"If you stay for any length of time, I am sure she will dazzle you," Noh said sincerely.

"Then I'll have to wait around for that," K said, trying to tease Jubilee and not irritate her. "Likely it'll be a looooong time."

"No, no," Noh said, missing the subtle interactions between the two of them as he was more concerned with leaning his chin on Jubilee's shoulder as he hugged her from behind before he went back to his pancakes. "She is always dazzling."

"More for some than others," K said as she got up and crossed the room to put her mug away. "See you around." She looked at the little firecracker as she said it and just headed out of the room.

Jubilee watched her go before she turned to look at Logan then crossed the room to sit down right next to him. "Aren't you cold without your flannel shirt?"

Logan just gave her a little smirk and shook his head before pointedly going to the last section of the paper. "Tee shirt is fine for now. Besides, I'm just about done here," he warned. "I _will_ have to go get a new flannel."

Jubilee nodded and sat on her hands, trying to think of how to get the answers she needed. considering that much of what she needed to know, she'd already figured out on her own. But the second band was still a mystery. As was how it worked. If it was a control mechanism, which she was pretty sure it was. He seemed a little… on edge about it, and while she wasn't willing to invade his privacy by looking in his head (though she could if she wanted to, if she really worked at it, if she thought it was really that bad, as a last resort), she could sort of… sense it. Generally speaking.

Jubilee was still considering her options when Kate, who was finally on her second cup of coffee and starting to actually join wakefulness, noticed the little black bands peeking out from underneath Noh's shirt. "Didn't think you were a fan of jewelry," she teased Noh's way, pointing with her cup at the bands. "Present from Jubes? You two going steady now?"

Noh looked surprised for a moment and pulled his sleeve almost automatically before he just shrugged at her. "No, they weren't from Jubilee," he said.

"Oh, Jubes, you — you're in trouble," Kate teased. "He's getting jewelry from _other people_."

"You are entirely misinterpreting their purpose," Noh said dryly as he sat down with his overly large stack of pancakes. He slipped the Kree band off his arm and handed it to Kate with a little smile. "The psionic bands sense distress — emotional and physical — and produce comforting hums and warmth," he explained, letting her hold the band before he placed his hand on it to get it to hum for her.

As Kate looked it over, Jubilee looked up at him. "Can I see the other one? That's kind of cool."

He smiled at her. "It's a present from Hala — of course it's cool," he said matter-of-factly. "I can show you the same trick when Kate is finished examining it."

"But you don't wanna share the other one? What's up with that? You have another girl I should know about?" Jubilee teased as lightly as she could with a little smirk.

He laughed and shook his head. "How could I possibly look at any other woman but you?" he asked, sidestepping the question entirely.

"Evasive," she said as she looked up at him with a smile, though there was fire in her eyes.

"I assure you — I'm being entirely truthful," Noh said. He leaned over and pressed a gentle, lingering kiss on her forehead. "You are the only woman in my life that matters — and I've never once been unfaithful to you," he added seriously.

Logan tipped his head to the side a bit, his eyes narrowed, but he very discreetly nodded once, very slowly.

"Oh, I know," Jubilee said with a smirk. "But it is nice to hear anyhow." She was biting the inside of her cheek, trying to figure out how to get to the band again — but there was no good way for her to bring it up and not make it completely obvious.

Kate watched the two of them for a moment and then handed the Kree band to Noh. "Guess you need it after fighting Sabretooth, huh?" she asked. "Do they help with the healing?"

"No," Noh admitted. He turned the band in his hand before he handed it to Jubes. "But it's like — what you have on Earth? A teddy bear?" He had to smirk the slightest bit as he let his gaze slide fo Logan. "But far more advanced."

"Tech doesn't meet up with an actual person though," Logan rumbled, though he didn't look up. "Not sure why you'd need it when you have Jubes. Let alone two."

"This is entirely true," Noh agreed and kissed Jubilee's cheek. "I much prefer her company to any present from home."

Logan let out a sigh and nodded openly, and though the timing was clear to Jubes, it was easily interpreted as agreeing with Noh. "Good answer, cockroach."

Noh met his gaze for a moment, though his jaw was a bit tighter and he looked slightly upset. "It's an honest one," he said simply.

Logan leaned forward just a hair. "I know," Logan replied, nodding his head and sounding perfectly in agreement. "How 'bout another one? If they only do their thing when there's distress, what the hell've you got to be distressed about?"

Noh let out a weary-sounding sigh. "The same thing that has plagued me since I was first stranded on this planet, I'm afraid. Your world, for all its wonder, is filled also with evil, and I find it hard to stay afloat at times." He gently folded his hands in front of himself as he seemed to be examining his hands while he thought over his answer. "I pledged my life to protect this world. But it's a task I did not realize I had also pledged my _heart_ to until very recently."

Logan just glared at him for a moment. "And Jubilation?"

Noh looked surprised before he glanced over at Jubilee and let out a long breath. "I assure you — I will never lie about my feelings for her. She is the reason I am trying so hard to survive the tides of this world."

"I know that too," Logan replied with a little smirk. "You haven't lied once about how you feel about her."

Kurt raised an eyebrow and looked between Logan and Noh. "Well then," he said softly, his gaze on Logan as he was clearly trying to work out what was going on. "At least we can rest easy knowing Jubilee's heart is not to be broken here."

"I didn't say I believed _that_ ," Logan replied.

"You cannot think I would ever hurt her," Noh said, sounding indignant.

"Not on purpose," Logan agreed. "Unintentionally? Oh yeah."

Noh looked entirely sincere as he leaned forward. "Then tell me how to keep from doing so," he said. "And I will do it."

Logan smirked broader and leaned forward just to keep it low. "Lies by omission are still lies." He sat back and gathered up his paper and mug to leave. "Pretty sure you can figure the rest out yourself. You're a smart little cockroach." With that, Logan simply got up and left, heading up the stairs without another word spoken.

* * *

Noh had been thinking about what Logan had said over breakfast all day, and he wasn't ashamed to admit that it had been weighing on him as he tried to sort out how best to proceed.

The truth was that he _did_ love Jubilee. There was no other word to describe the rush of warmth he felt every time he came home to find her there. And Logan was entirely right; he shouldn't be keeping secrets from her. The problem was simply that he didn't know _how_ to explain everything — or what would be the consequences if he did.

The truth was that he was terrified — not for himself but for her. For the threats Hill had uttered, the promises to come after Jubilee and the others. He was a Kree; he had been engineered to withstand so much. She… was warmth and fire all at once, and she was tough — but she would not survive what he had in the Cube.

And the truth was that he didn't know how to deal with that, the bone-deep terror. He'd never felt it before.

He was propped up on one elbow as he watched Jubilee brushing her hair and her teeth. When she came back to climb in beside him, he finally let out the breath he hadn't realized he was holding as he lay down next to her and very quietly whispered out an, "I'm sorry, Jubilee," into her hair. "I should be showering _you_ with such affection and attention for all the worry I've brought down on your head, and here you are tending to me instead."

She smiled at him and stole a gentle kiss. "Well, you do need a lot of looking after," she teased him lightly. "And I want to help."

"I wish you could," he told her honestly, nestling a little deeper into her hair. "I have been wracking my mind all day to find something ..." He let out a little sigh. "I confess, I don't know that I could ask anything more of you than you are doing now." He looked honestly sheepish. "I am a coward, Jubilee. I'm too afraid of what _might_ happen, despite every moment of temporal training I have that tells me that is a ridiculous fear."

"It would be less ridiculous if you were a telepath too," she teased. "Because then you'd know what I was thinking before you got there. So I guess it's not entirely stupid. But it _is_ stupid."

He had to chuckle at that. "I know," he agreed. "Which ... is why I'm trying to apologize. I don't know how to balance this new terror of causing you any harm with what I know to be logical — that I can't predict the future."

"I'm starting to think you're falling into everyone's little rut," she said softly, with her mouth half covered with the blanket. "I can do more than everyone gives me credit for. And I'm tougher than you think."

He smiled at her softly. "Jubilee," he said in a whisper, "I could not fall for anyone who was not a warrior. I know this about you."

"Then why do you keep acting like I'll shatter into a million pieces?" she asked, lifting her chin up.

He took in a deep breath. "Because I feel that way myself — and like it or not, Jubilee, you are not as durable as I am."

She reached up to cover his mouth with her hand. "If you ever go that far out of your way to sound like Wolvie again, I'll paff you into next Tuesday."

He was so surprised by her reaction that he let out an honest laugh. "That… was clearly not my intention," he promised. "I'm simply trying to be honest."

"And honestly, I saved his life the first time we met. Trust me. I can hack it."

He leaned in and kissed her very gently. "I do believe you can," he whispered. "It's why I love you."

She considered him for a moment, but couldn't help but smirk. "You mean … in addition to the sass and sparkles and unbelievable beauty."

"Oh yes," he agreed, smiling wider. "As well as the sense of humour, good taste in music, and amazing dance moves..."

She gave him a genuine smile and kissed him back. "Keep talking."


	15. Don't Fight The Tail

**Notes: Yes, seriously, Jubinoh is the sweetest, honey-dripping ship ever. And it has been since its inception. (The stories we could tell of the first stories we wrote together with these two… we still have no idea where this ship came from but it's so sickly sweet we can't just NOT write them. They're sparkles and sunshine!)**

* * *

 **Chapter 15 :** " **Don't Fight the Tail"**

* * *

Billy had arrived at the mansion with Teddy and Tommy in tow — and they were both grinning wide and clearly in on whatever plans Kate had for her Halloween costume, though she had been insistent that no one could know what she was planning and made Billy promise not to spill her secrets.

"Okay, I get that you tell your fiance everything, but Tommy, really?" Kate teased, trying to look stern as soon as she'd finished hugging Billy, and he just laughed.

"He's sneaky when he wants to be, and he asked Strange why I was learning with amulets," Billy explained as he held up the pendant for Kate to see.

But before Kate could examine it for herself, Tommy darted in to get his hug. "Long time no see!" he said as he spun her around.

"And whose fault is that?" Kate said, laughing as she returned the hug. "Pretty sure you were _invited_ to the team."

Tommy grinned sheepishly. "Yeah — uh. David was having a minor crisis. His future ghost self or whatever showed up again?" He shrugged. "I told him I'd help. Maybe I'll join the X-Crew after my best friend becomes incorporeal."

"Anything we can do?" Kate asked, but Tommy just shook his head.

"Nah, he's got his mind pretty well made up on becoming a ghost. He just… wants to travel the world, see the sights before he stops having a body." Tommy grinned. "And hey, I'm not usually one to take it slow and smell all the roses, but I'm really good at getting around the world."

Kate just grinned at him before she turned to Teddy. "And what about you? How's life while Billy's all holed up with Strange?"

"I've actually become pretty good friends with Ilyanna," Teddy replied with a little smirk. "And gotten most of the wedding planning done. All that's left to do is pick a date — we just have to talk Tommy and David into staying in _one place_ long enough to come," he added with a teasing smirk Tommy's way.

"Hey, I'll stay still for my own brother's wedding!" Tommy protested, and Kate just laughed at the three of them as she led them back into the mansion.

Billy draped an arm around her shoulders with a grin as he handed her the amulet in a little leather bag. "Don't touch it with your bare hands until you're ready," he said. "Strange figured it would be better if we didn't do anything potentially permanent while I'm still — you know — learning? So whenever you're done with the costume, just take off the amulet."

"Smart thinking," Kate agreed as she put the leather pouch in her pocket and grinned at her friend. "I tried to get Kurt to tell me what he's going as so we can match, but he _refuses_."

"Probably thinks it wouldn't be fair, seeing as yours is secret," Teddy pointed out.

Kate just shrugged. "Only for a few more hours," she said, patting the pouch significantly. "I'm going to spend _all Halloween_ this way. Just to get used to it before the party."

"Smart thinking," Billy chuckled. He gave her another warm hug. "See you at breakfast, Kate. We'll be up nice and early so we can't possibly miss the show."

* * *

Kate wasn't usually an early riser, but she'd slept lightly, excited all the way down to her toes about her costume, and as soon as the sun was up, she decided she just couldn't go back to sleep, so it was definitely time. She reached over to the nightstand, slipped the amulet over her neck, and let out a soft sort of gasp that turned into a giggle as the spell ran down her spine, over her skin, like a warm shower, leaving blue fur in its wake — though when she grew a tail, she cried out for just a second, because — okay. Painful. But totally, totally worth it.

She examined her hands and arms first, surprised at how much warmer she felt, even with how much she'd cuddled Kurt — it was a whole other layer of fine fur _on_ her skin, closer even then cuddling. And she had to grin when she brought her hands up to her now pointed ears, with pointed teeth that felt a little foreign in her mouth.

This was the best Halloween idea she'd ever had, and considering her epic costume switch with Jubilee last year, that was seriously saying something.

Kurt was still dead to the world beside her, though he wasn't sleeping as deeply with her moving beside him, and she just sort of giggled as she snuggled into him, deciding it would be hilarious if he just woke up to her like this. Still, she did have to hold her tail in one hand to keep it from _moving_ so much, seriously.

While Kurt had slept through Kate's sudden transformation, the same was not true of the bamfs, who were watching her curiously to see if she was upset by the change. When she didn't seem to be freaking out or anything, they just fell into giggles, laughing hysterically as they gestured at their own tails, chattering away and trying to give her instructions that she wasn't quite sure she understood except maybe to tell her to stop holding it — which wasn't going to happen until she was sure she wouldn't knock over the lamp by their bed.

Of course, as soon as the bamfs were in on what was happening, there was no hope of a quiet wakeup call for Kurt as about four of them pounced on him at once, pulling on his pajama shirt, his arms, poking him and prodding him with insistent jabbering that sounded way too fast and excited for even him to understand. As soon as Kurt was even partway awake, they started to pull on his face to turn him toward Kate, while the rest were behind her making presentation hands.

Kate was giggling madly by then as Kurt looked over at her in alarm, eyes wide, mouth slightly open, tail completely still, fur a bit on end and everything. She fell apart laughing and just managed to gasp out, "Halloween cat. Logan was so right about the look."

Kurt had moved on from alarm to confusion as he just kept staring at her. " _Liebchen_ ," he said cautiously, " _was ist los?_ "

She just kept giggling as she kissed his cheek and finally let him in on the joke. She tapped the amulet around her neck. "I had Billy cook me up a Halloween costume," she explained. "What do you think? Do I rock the blue, fuzzy look?"

He grinned at her at last before he pulled her down and kissed her. " _Du siehst fantastisch aus_ ," he whispered in her ear with a little, low growl before he started to kiss the edges of her newly pointed ears, and she let out a gasp of delight.

* * *

Noh-Varr was in the middle of putting the finishing touches on his Hobbes costume — a few stylized whiskers. He could control his hair growth and had managed a wonderful little beard that looked very tiger-like and just needed to be dyed with stripes, and then of course, there were the stripes around the rest of his face… but other than that, he was nearly done with his costume. He simply had to change into the uniform that he and Jubilee had repurposed and decorated with tiger stripes.

Jubilee was in the bathroom of the room that they shared putting the finishing touches on her Spaceman Spiff costume as well. She looked absolutely darling, her hair sprayed-on blonde and sticking up in just the way that Calvin's did in the comics.

So when the high-pitched whine started up from the band, Noh honestly got mad about it.

He was _done_. He was done listening to Hill, taking her orders, keeping her secrets. He was tired of being separated from Jubilee, of not being able to keep his promises to her — just _done_ with all of it.

He glanced to where Jubilee was and zipped over behind her, scooping her up in both arms to kiss her passionately, grinning when she giggled at his tiger whiskers tickling her face. "I'll be right back," he whispered to her, and when she looked mad for a moment at the familiar refrain, he added quickly, "I'm going down to see your Doctor McCoy."

It was the truth, after all. Henry had told him to come see him before he got himself in any more trouble. And Noh was trying — he really, really was — to make up for the distress he was causing, so he would of course try to follow Henry's instructions as best he could.

She relaxed the slightest bit and nodded as she popped up to kiss him, but he could see from the look on her face that she didn't entirely believe him.

He let out a long breath. "Jubilee," he told her quietly, "I love you." He kissed her a little longer and then rushed off to Henry's lab.

He was honestly disappointed to see that the fuzzy blue doctor wasn't there when he arrived. Noh glanced around but didn't see a sign of him — likely he was upstairs with the others celebrating Halloween — so he grabbed up a pad of paper and pen.

 _I am going to fix what should have been fixed long ago. Will tell you_ _everything_ _upon my return. -Noh-Varr_

Noh stared at the note for a moment before he nodded, though he'd hardly taken a step back from the desk before it seemed his SHIELD handlers had gotten tired of waiting, and he very nearly crashed to his knees as this time the much more insistent whine started up.

He reached for the comm at his hip irritably. _On my way_ , he wrote in response to the message with the coordinates, though this time the relief from the noise was not as immediate as the last time he'd taken this long to get where he was 'supposed' to be, and he could see the skin underneath Hill's arm band splintering where the strain was fracturing his tympanic membrane there.

When the sound did let up, he took in a shuddering and steadying breath, nodded once to himself, and then took off — but not for the coordinates that had been set.

He didn't know precisely where Maria Hill would be. It was possible she was on the helicarrier, and as that was always moving, he didn't know where he could find it. But he did know where the SWORD station was, and that was where he was headed, setting his ship to autopilot once he was aboard the _Marvel_ so that he would still get where he needed to be even if his SHIELD handlers started up that infernal noise again.

He was going to have a chat with Brand. And, if he could find her, Hill — though that would not be nearly so friendly a chat as what he planned to say to Brand. After all, he was fairly sure that Brand was his ally — and since she already had some understanding of the situation, she was safer to turn to than the others, who might be in danger if Noh told them what was going on.

He sent a message ahead for Brand to expect him, so when the inevitable happened and the band started up again — this time so intense that he simply sank down and blacked out — he fully expected to be greeted by Brand and SWORD personnel when he woke up.

And he did, in fact, wake up in SWORD. But Brand was not there, and he realized with a sinking heart that his message must have been intercepted when he heard Hill's voice, through a screen, the moment he picked up his head.

"I see you're not too happy with our little arrangement," she said as Noh carefully picked himself up. He was sore everywhere from the hit that had knocked him out entirely, and he wasn't entirely sure what it _was_ that he'd been hit with — just that it hurt.

"As I told you before — it is captivity, plain and simple," Noh said with a glare as he got himself upright — though he sank back down again almost the very next moment as it seemed Hill had just been waiting for him to stand up so she could hit him again, the frequency cutting through him and sending him to his knees.

"I think you're underestimating how lenient we've been so far," Hill said evenly when the sound finally let up and Noh was left gasping. "Objectively speaking, you're still a free agent when you're not on a mission for us. We don't tell you what to do with your free time… or who to spend it with."

Noh glared at the screen through narrowed eyes. "We have very different definitions of freedom, you and I."

"Maybe," Hill allowed with a small shrug, matching his narrowed-eyes glare with one of her own. "But consider the alternative." She paused for a moment and considered him. "We still have all of the notes from the Cube's old warden," she said at last — and Noh felt his heart drop into his stomach at the pronouncement. "He was very ... detailed," she continued. "Apparently, your people specifically engineered you to follow orders. It wouldn't be hard at all to take control where there are actual handholds engineered into your DNA and biology for exactly that purpose."

Noh just glared at her for an answer.

She smirked the slightest bit at that. "Of course, we could do that _now_ ," she said, which just had Noh baring his teeth at her. "We could return you to that cell in the Cube and send in a team to do your job instead while we adjust your attitude."

"That was not the deal," Noh practically growled out.

"Wasn't it?" she challenged. "You become an agent for me, and I let you roam free except for assignments. _I'm_ not the one who broke the agreement coming here."

"I never agreed to a life filled only with servitude and barely enough time to recover my own health!"

"Fine." Hill glared at him. "That's easily addressed. We'll just send in a SHIELD team to the mansion for this mission. I'm sure there will be minimal arrests and casualties."

Noh glanced up at her with obvious fury in his gaze. "What?"

"It would be a simple enough mission for you to handle alone, since you're already there, but if you insist on a new arrangement, we can put you back in the Cube and send in a team in your place while we renegotiate. Of course, if anyone tries to stop _them_ , we'll have to arrest the offenders…"

"You can't—"

"Of course we can." Hill watched him with her chin thrust out, and it was clear from her expression that she knew she'd won. "I've already got the team on standby. Given your recent behavior, we can't exactly trust you to do this mission properly without a little motivation, can we?"

He held her gaze with narrowed eyes for as long as he could before he had to drop it, his tone utterly defeated as he all but whispered, "There's… no need for that." He closed his eyes. "I will do it."

* * *

"Stop trying to fight it," Kurt whispered in Kate's ear as they made their way down toward the party and she very nearly tripped over her tail — again. He had one arm around her waist and was holding her tightly, and not just because she had almost fallen over.

"This thing," she said through gritted teeth, "has a mind of its own!"

"Yes, and you are making things worse by trying to fight against it," Kurt said patiently before an impish grin spread over his features and he just pulled her close and kissed the very tip of her ear, which had her almost instantly melting into his arms as her tail stilled and relaxed behind her.

"That's just… not even fair," Kate said softly, and Kurt just chuckled deep.

"Ah, but it makes us even, _V_ _ö_ _gelchen_ ," he said.

" _De visas slutligen bara att behöva återvända. Till avskildheten stängda dörrar_ ," K muttered with a little smirk as they finally made a stop nearby.

The two of them glanced over at her to see the fully realized Viking costume, complete with furs and leather, that K and Kate had found after some _serious_ shopping, and Kate smirked her way without taking a single step away from Kurt. "Are you going to talk in Swedish all day?" she teased.

"I could," K said. "But I'll keep to it just when I need it. Unless … do you have anyone else that speaks Svenska?"

"I don't think so," Kurt said, shaking his head.

"It's a shame that Deutsche doesn't cross over more," K said with a shrug. "But I doubt you'll miss everything I say."

"They are similar," Kurt agreed as he reached up to adjust the wide brim of his Musketeer hat. "But I could always feign deafness if you need it," he added with a widening, cheeky grin.

"No, it's more fun when you catch little bits and pieces," K replied. "It leaves the rest to your imagination."

He laughed and nodded his agreement before he looked around the halls. "Have you seen Jubilee yet?" he asked curiously. "I thought she would be the first one at the party — since her Hobbes is setting up music."

"I have not," K said with drooped shoulders. "I was looking forward to Spaceman Spiff giving me dirty looks."

Kate giggled at that. "Take heart, fair Viking warrior. I'm sure you'll get your Spiff fix soon. Maybe she's just adding finishing touches."

"I'm only going to appreciate it if Hobbes tackles her with a flying leap," K replied before she readjusted one of the furs at her shoulder.

"He will _so_ do that if you ask him to," Kate promised, grinning wider as her tail swished excitedly.

"We'll see," K replied as she gestured for them to lead the way.

But when they got into the party, they were surprised to see that there was no Hobbes at the DJ table and that, instead, David and Tommy were there as David seemed to be explaining to Tommy what half the records were.

"Noh's gonna be mad if they get his records out of order," Kate said with a small frown, though Kurt's was much deeper as he scanned the room for Jubilee — who was also conspicuously absent.

But they were distracted as they reached the edge of the room when — _bamf_ — Logan appeared just beside them holding a beer, with three little bamfs wearing Musketeer hats prodding him forward so he could see the three others in front of him.

"Hey Elf," Logan said with his face tipped down at the little bamfs. "Tell your little imps to back off. I was getting ready to play poker with Hank—" He looked up and just stopped speaking as he took in the three people in front of him. "Why are they — Kate?"

Kate had absolutely dissolved into giggles again, holding onto Kurt for support as she finally managed to ask, "Do you like it?"

"Well, you match," Logan said shaking his head. "But where are your _costumes_ , girls?" He opened the beer can and finally looked away from the two women to give Kurt a once over. "What are you supposed to be?"

Kurt tipped his head at Logan. "Aramis," he said with a smirk. "And these are my fellow Musketeers," he added as the bamfs giggled and showed off their hats and little sashes.

"And this is the proud Valkyrie K," Kate added, trying to point with her tail and instead just managing to wave it in the air.

K just gave her a look and totally missed the little smile Logan shot her way before she reached over and took the beer out of his hand. " _Du tog mig en öl? Tack så mycket, vacker_." With that, she tipped up the beer and drank about half in one go.

Kate just giggled at her new friend, her arm still around Kurt's waist as she shot K a thumbs up.

"I think she just raided you," Kurt teased.

"Watch out; I'll be headed to your monastery next to steal your valuables," K laughed with a troublemaking look Kurt's way.

"You two look awfully tight tonight," Logan pointed out as he took his beer back and put his arm around K's back. "You get your tails knotted up?"

"Earlier, yes," Kate said with a shameless grin that had Kurt shaking his head at her. "But ... ah, the tail is hard to navigate. And… I maybe fell. A few times."

"Every time I let her walk a few feet without me," Kurt laughed. "She is fighting the tail," he added with a little smirk Logan's way.

"Can't fight the tail, She-Elf," Logan teased.

"Apparently," Kate agreed with a little sigh as she looked behind herself to stare at the tail in betrayal. "I thought this would be easier."

"Never as easy as you think it will be," Logan said with a sigh before he turned from the hip-joined elves for a moment and held his beer out of K's reach. "If you want your _own_ beer, you'll have to take a walk downstairs with me."

"Fair enough," K nodded. "I doubt I can add much to the fur-pile here with these two."

"Not sorry even a little bit," Kate sang out as she just grinned over her shoulder.

"He's just trying to get you liquored up," Kurt teased.

"And he calls me an evil seductress," Kate agreed, illustrating her point by kissing Kurt's jaw.

"That ... is not how you evil seductress," K criticised before she let loose a scandalized sounding stream of nearly breathy Swedish. "But it'll take more than beer to get me liquored up — so you two have fun. I'm going to raid the poker game."

"Take them for everything they're worth," Kate said.

"I _will_ — I'll come back with all their valuables and all their clothes," K promised.

Kate just laughed and waved at her friend before she turned back to Kurt. "Apparently, my evil seductress still needs work," she teased him. "Any pointers?"

"Learning to walk might help with that," Kurt teased. "Though the desperate clutching and tripping over your own two feet brings out the valiant hero."

"I may never walk again," Kate said with a dramatic sigh.

"Oh — okay. Did you two — is this what happens if you—" America had shown up to the party at last and was clearly laughing but trying to decide on which joke to tell first. "Kate, is this some weird demon pregnancy symptom?" she asked at last.

" _No_ ," Kate said, flushing the deepest purple she'd ever worn.

"Are you sure? Have you taken a test?" America was grinning ear to ear. "I mean — as your best friend, you know this means I'm now obligated to kill the boyfriend, right?"

Now _that_ was the deepest purple Kate had ever worn. " _America._ "

"It's okay. I'll hold your hair when you're having morning sickness of smoke and brimstone."

"It's a _costume_!" Kate half-shouted.

America looked her over with an ever-growing smirk. "Looks pretty real to me."

Kate and Kurt were both fairly flushed now, and it took them both a long moment before either of them could respond. "It's a spell," Kate tried. "Billy's spell."

"So, like, the opposite of the pill?"

" _America!_ "

"Seriously, I'm here for you. I'll start cutting tail holes out of baby clothes."

"That's not…" Kurt was clearly trying to help, but neither of them could manage much when America was just grinning triumphantly.

America turned her attention to Kurt and stuck her finger out to wiggle it in his face. "Shame on you. Ruining my princess's reputation like that."

"I assure you—"

"You're just going to have to marry her now. There's nothing else for it," America said, grinning mercilessly. "D'you think you could teleport us to Vegas? I'll be the flower girl."

"That's _so_ not happening," Kate tried to cut in.

"What, you don't think I could pull off the dress and the pigtails?" America said.

"No."

America just cackled and settled back to lean against the wall as she tried to get control of her laughter. "I so could. I could be flower girl and maid of honor AND play the organ."

"Is there even any need for us to be there?" Kurt asked with a weak smile, and America burst into laughter again.

"I'll even get Clint to be the angry dad with the shotgun. He'll go all Iowa corn farmer on you. Trust me. This will be _perfect_."

"America, _please_ ," Kate said, shaking her head.

"What, you don't think he'd do it?"

"He would, but—"

"That's right he would."

"America—"

"Gee, Kate, you look like you need to sit down," America said with as much seriousness as she could muster. "You're all purple. I mean — moreso than usual."

"Please—"

America just started laughing again before she kissed Kate's cheek. "Ooh, fuzzy," she teased before she zipped away and called out over her shoulder, "I have to fill up my dance card. I'll leave you two to work out the colors and the decorations."

Both Kate and Kurt stared after her before both of them simply had to shake their heads. There was just no stopping America when she was on a roll like that.

It wasn't too long before Henry came up into the costume party, a purple blush to his cheeks as he gave Kurt a tight smile. "I suppose it's not too late to join your festivities?"

"I thought you were playing poker," Kurt said with a laugh. "You can't be done already."

But Hank just shook his head slowly with a growing smile. "That, my friend, was no casual, friendly poker game," Hank told him. "That was a massacre where no prisoners were taken."

"I take it our viking took her costume too literally?" Kurt laughed.

"Indeed; all she needs to do now is burn the village."

"Oh, don't let her do that," Kate laughed. "I promised Storm and Annie we wouldn't burn the house down."

"Well that's boring," America said as she rejoined them, red-faced and grinning as she had been sure to try and show up the whole dance floor at once. "Where's the fun without any serious destruction?"

"Yeah, I'm just going to turn you loose on Clint's place and let you deal with Deadpool," Kate joked. "If you really want a fight this year."

"He's fun," America agreed with a laugh. "All I have to do is pick him up by his red and black pajamas and tell him we're fighting."

When Logan arrived a short while later, with K on his arm, and both of them quietly joking about something with their heads together, Kate had to tease.

"You had the whole lab to yourself — and you _left_? I thought for sure you'd want some privacy!"

"He was a little nervous about being alone with a viking," K explained. "You know. Vikings and their reputations. Take what they want. _And_ steal your valuables before they burn down the place. More blunt than pirates."

"And yet I think I'll keep the pirate I've got," Kate said with a wide grin as she finally — _finally_ — managed to get her tail around Kurt's waist.

"That's because vikings are more direct and thus — scarier," K said with a confident slow nod.

"I'll take dashing over scary any day," Kate countered, laughing.

"Seriously, you two. Vegas. Anytime. I'll wear the dress and everything," America said.

"Ooh, who's going to Vegas?" K asked.

"We're _not_. She's just being a pain," Kate said, shooting America a glare.

"You _should_ ," K replied as Logan just started to chuckle at the obviously ongoing joke. "You know. Before the baby comes."

"I _told you_ it was a weird pregnancy symptom!" America said before she reached over to high-five K.

"Totally a weird pregnancy symptom," K said as she nodded slowly. "She's been craving lost souls too."

"When she starts having morning sickness with smoke coming out her ears, we know it's twins," America chuckled.

"No, no, it's not smoke," K said with a frown. "She's belching fire."

"Now _that_ means triplets," America said.

"Ooooh, and _there_ are your three musketeers," K said to Kurt, who was a magnificent purple again. Logan smiled and tipped his head her way to ask her to be nice, but K just returned the smile and kissed his cheek as she shook her head. "Why would you want me to do that?"

"Natch," Logan replied, smirking to himself as K suddenly seemed to realize there was something off. She looked toward the DJ booth and whipped around to face Kate.

"What gives? Where are Calvin and Hobbes?" K asked, one arm outstretched to where David was getting to work.

Kate looked back to see that, in fact, David was still running the booth. "I guess ... they haven't shown up yet," she said with a little frown.

"Who?" America asked. "Maybe I saw them on the dance floor and your Hawkeyes have been affected by the yellow smoky whatever thing."

"Sparkles and sparklier," K replied as Logan frowned to himself as well. Jubilee should have been there long before he showed up.

"Oh, you mean Noh and his Glitter Queen?" America asked, smirking. She looked around the party. "Yeah, I haven't seen them all day. Did they opt for a private star-viewing?"

" _Många sovrum spel_ ," K said with a suspicious look on her face, and her eyes narrowed before she just smirked Logan's way and chuckled to herself.

" _Estas hablando sin sentido_ ," America grumbled as she crossed her arms over her chest. "Where'd you come from anyway?"

"North," K replied before she looked her up and down with a raised eyebrow. "And I am not." She gave America a little smile and leaned a little closer to her with one hand to the side of her mouth. " _Probablemente están jugando juegos de dormitorio, hermoso. Sí_?"

" _Sí_ ," America chuckled. "America Chavez, by the way."

"K, viking conqueror of all things with an 'X' on 'em," K teased.

"Well now you have to marry Kate too," America replied easily. "Seeing as she has two of them on her hips half the time."

"That's just where she wants her kisses," K shot back.

"Explains why she's dating a pirate," America agreed. "Wonder if she's marked any other places with an 'x'."

"Yep, saw her making plans for the tattoo parlor last week," K agreed. "I offered my sharpie, but …" she let it end in a shrug.

"I officially regret letting you two in the same zip code as each other," Kate said, shaking her head at them both.

America just laughed and waved her hand at Kate. "C'mon, Princess, she's _fun_. Where have you been hiding her, and is she single?"

"How old are you?" K asked, with one eyebrow raised.

"In _this_ universe's years?" America asked with a smirk as K nodded. "I'd say… about Kate's age. I think."

K looked over at Kate, clearly waiting for the answer.

"Going on twenty-five," Kate said. "But I'm older by at least a year or two," she added with a glance America's way. "She just thinks she's cute when she sounds other-dimension-y."

K just clutched at her chest for a moment and closed her eyes to shake her head. "No no, no. No." she turned to Logan and gave him a little smile that looked fake. "Take me away from these children, please." Though her comment got a chuckle from him as he put his arm around her.

"Which ones? The ones Kate's carrying around?" America said, grinning, with her hands on her hips.

"That too," K said. "You — you are all babies. I love you but … oh my _Gosh_ , no."

"I think I broke your new friend," America stage whispered to Kate.

"Yeah, please don't do that. I _like_ her," Kate stage whispered back as the door opened to admit Scott and Annie.

Annie looked amazing in the Maid Marian outfit, which shimmered and looked like something right out of a fairy tale — but it was the self-conscious grin on Scott's face as he rocked the Robin Hood tights that had Kate laughing outright at the expression on K's face.

"I let him borrow one of the quivers from my class," Kate said to K with an impish grin. "Enjoy."

"That … that is so lovely," K said quietly to Kate before she called out to Annie. "Come here, I want to see your dress!"

Annie beamed over at the assembled group as she had her arm through Scott's and pulled him toward them. "I love your Viking outfit," she said with a smile before she let out a little 'oh' of surprise when she saw Kate, who just waved.

"That ... is impressive," Scott said as he looked over the elf couple. "How did you do that? It doesn't look fake."

"It's totally real," Kate said, tapping the amulet around her neck. "Temporary spell, courtesy of Billy Kaplan. Don't worry — it won't turn me into a little brat. It only lasts until I take off the necklace."

"That's a shame," Scott said with a small smirk. "I bet Katie would have loved Storm's setup. We could have gone trick or treating."

"Get your own kids, boss man," Kate shot back, sticking her tongue out at him, which had him looking ever more self-conscious than before.

"Okay," K said with a smirk. "I'm going to need you two to twirl for me. I need the whole effect."

Annie laughed and tried to pull at Scott's arm, but he had turned slightly pink. "Come on, Scott," Annie said. "Twirl me."

"Come on, Robin of Locksley," K teased. "Don't be so shy. My skirt's shorter than yours, and _I'm_ not worried."

Scott gave her a very dry look, but Annie was laughing, so he sighed and gave her a little twirl — very quickly.

K just grinned and leaned America's way "Fine attention to detail, but … it falls short of expectations," she said very quietly, which got a laugh from Logan anyhow.

"That's what happens when they settle down and retire," America whispered back.

"Put out to pasture," K nodded.

"Such a waste," America agreed.

"Ignore them," Kate told Annie, rolling her eyes. "They're being horrible tonight."

"Well, at least they're having fun," Annie said, shaking her head before she looked Logan's way. "And what happened to your costume? I thought everyone was coming dressed up."

"The bamfs brought him here," Kurt explained. "He was in the middle of a poker game with Henry — but they seemed to think he should attend the party instead, costume or no."

" _Plundrade bybo_ ," K said giving Logan a little smirk. "I'll get around to it later."

"Not sure what you said, but I'll go along with it," Logan shot back, which only got a broader smile from K.

"Yes you will."

Kate just laughed. "Careful, Logan. In the mood she's in, that could mean you're her personal manservant for the rest of the night."

"I can think of worse ways to spend the evening," Logan replied without missing a beat.

Scott looked between the two of them for a moment and then just… took Annie by the hand. "What do you say we find some of the others? Or—"

"Or how about you dance with her, you goon," America shouted, which only had Annie laughing at Scott's expression.

"She's right — you should dance with me," Annie said, grinning as she pulled Scott out to the dance floor, as America flashed her a double thumbs up.

"Well that's them taken care of," America said, making a show of brushing of her hands. "I'm on a roll — who else needs a dance? We find the Glitter Queen yet?"

"She hasn't shown," Kurt said, his smile slipping slightly as he glanced around the ballroom. "I can send the bamfs to find her and bring her back, though."

"Not if she's doing the tango with her alien boyfriend," America said, shaking her head.

"No, but then _they_ would see it — and none of us would," Kurt pointed out.

"Fair point," America agreed. She looked at the nearest bamf, who was trying to help Kate keep her tail from knocking into anything. "Hey, Cupid — you want to find the Glitter Queen?"

The little bamf looked up at her quizzically and with wide eyes simply disappeared in a poof, followed quickly by the rest of the little cherub-demons. The group more or less went back to their teasing for a few minutes before Jubilee appeared — not in costume and looking very miserable as she nibbled at a Twizzler.

"I was promised Spaceman Spiff," Kate said with a disappointed sigh. "Where's Noh? Did the Hobbes costume take too much time?"

"Who knows," Jubilee said with a shrug. "The costumes were done, but he just ... cut out. Again."

"And left his gorgeous girl?" America asked, shaking her head with a tut. "That's just — that's just stupid."

Jubilee just snorted at that. "Yeah, well. Whatever, his loss," she replied before biting a little harder into her Twizzler.

"Is my gain," America said decisively, not even asking as she picked Jubes up by the waist. "Come on, _chica_. Let's go dancing." Jubilee started to protest, but America just pulled her along until she gave in and danced with her, the frown slowly slipping into a smile as they twirled awkwardly through the crowd.


	16. Buncha Misfits and Orphans

**Notes from robbie: Scruffy: I hear you. Somebody needs to get Jubes hugs and cookies and her boyfriend back. *nudges Logan***

 **And griezz… honey… if you look at the top of the story, you will see that this story is rating T. That's because I'm a Good Mormon Girl™ and I'm not going to cross that PG-13 threshold. It's not a blush factor or giggling thing; it's that I've made a solemn covenant to a certain standard of behavior, which I take seriously. If that's your thing, that's great, you do you, but you won't find it here because it ain't** _ **my**_ **thing. At all.**

 **From CC: ...aaaand Bobby Drake shouting F yeah to anyone repeatedly seems wildly out of character for the Bobby that I have come to know and love over the last 30 some years. I will, on occasion do the over PG-13, but only when it seems to fit. And not when writing in tandem with a friend. That's just not … something I want to do. And … blush factor is not a thing when you're older than dirt like I am. (though … America's thoughts? Who knows. That girl …)**

* * *

 **Chapter 16:** " **Buncha Misfits and Orphans"**

* * *

It took some time for Jubilee to relax enough to even start to enjoy the party. And while she was slowly starting to have fun, K had been carefully watching the firecracker with a frown and her arms crossed while Logan chatted with Kurt and Kate.

"Do we need to skin a cockroach?" K asked quietly out of nowhere, clueing the three of them in to K's focus. But Logan just shook his head before he led her off somewhere quieter and more private to explain, though Kurt was looking after them like he really wanted in on the big secret.

"Something is happening," Kurt said to Kate at just over a whisper.

"You noticed too?" Kate asked with a little frown. "I thought maybe it was just… drama. But…"

"Logan knows more than he's letting on," Kurt said. "I'm not sure if it's good or bad that he's sharing it with K at this point."

"Teleport over and ask," Kate suggested. "Can't hurt to just… _ask_ ," she added with a little smirk. " _Communicate._ "

Kurt gave her a dry look and then tipped his head toward Logan. "They aren't talking anymore — and there is no way I am going to consider interrupting that."

Kate looked over and had to chuckle when she saw that Logan and K were, in fact, no longer talking — instead very much wrapped up in each other in their dark, quiet corner. "You know, they have the right idea," she said, tipping her head back to look up at Kurt.

He grinned down at her and nodded. "A quiet corner and no distractions? Yes, very much the right line of thinking."

Kate was giggling as she stood on her toes to kiss him, but before she could pull him into a corner of their own, she saw the door open out of the corner of her eye and stopped, surprised. "Oh — Noh's back," she said, looking first at the Kree fighter in the doorway and then over to where Jubilee and America were still dancing.

To their surprise, though, Noh didn't go right for Jubilee, instead making his way, hands deep in his pockets, to where K and Logan were getting more acquainted. He looked almost sheepish and clearly hesitated as he tapped K on the shoulder to get her attention.

It took a moment before she pulled back from Logan and turned to look up at Noh. "Hello, sunshine," she said with a little smile. "Your girl's on the dancefloor already."

"Yes, I know," he said. "And she is radiant even without the costume." He looked over his shoulder at Jubilee and for a moment seemed almost pained before he let out a sigh and turned back her way. "Actually, it's you I wanted to talk to."

K frowned and turned around fully, though Logan had a very suspicious look on his face and chose to keep his hands on K's waist as he stood just behind her. "What's on your mind?" K asked.

"Do you mind if we speak in private?" he asked quietly.

She tipped her head to the side ever so slightly and dropped her voice to just barely over a breath. "We can speak privately anywhere. Even with the music. What can I do for you?"

He frowned at her for a long moment. "I… would like you to come with me," he said at last, frankly. "To prevent SHIELD from sending more than just me."

Her smile fell completely, and for a moment she looked torn perfectly between vulnerable and angry. "No. I'm — Scott said you people didn't work for SHIELD." The shock was gone already from her features, and her hands were at fists at her side. She was tensed up and ready to fight, even as Logan tried to ease the situation.

"Who wants her, Noh?" he asked.

"I couldn't tell you," Noh said in a low voice.

"Then who sent you?" Logan asked, his eyes narrowed at Noh's answer. "Because I think you already know that she's not leaving to go anywhere near SHIELD."

"Not without a fight that I had hoped to avoid," Noh agreed with a heavy sigh. "But if I return without her, the mansion…." He shook his head. "Please, come with me," he tried again.

"Noh, why the _heck_ aren't you over there apologizing to Jubes?" Kate asked as she and Kurt made their way over. She was smirking at him until she saw the look on his face, and then she took in the scene more closely — especially the overly concentrated glare K had — and the bruising at her knuckles. "What's going on?" she asked, now decidedly more careful as she reached for the amulet to take it off if there was going to be trouble.

"Kate, please, go and dance with Jubilee," Noh said in a quiet voice. "Dance with your lovely friends and your dashing companion."

"You know, I really do like you, stardust," K told him. "Don't make me hurt you."

"I like you too," Noh said. "Please — accept my apologies." With that, he simply made a rush for her, full speed, to pick her up and just try to get out, running on the walls to get a better drop on her and to keep out of reach of at least some of the X-Men. Once he had her, he ran for the ceiling, but even at full speed, he didn't get very far when an echoing _snikt_ rang out, and in an instant, Noh had two sets of claws in his chest as K dragged her hands down his torso.

He cried out in both surprise and agony and simply let her go, gasping as he wrapped his arms around his chest and looked down at her from the ceiling as the assembled party guests all took in the scene in various states of surprise and downright confusion.

K was glaring up at him as she backed away toward the doors with his blood dripping off her hands. Logan just sort of did a double take between them before he made his way to stand with her.

"Noh — Logan, K!" Scott shouted, clearly bewildered. "What — _what_ is going on here?"

"SHIELD wants K," Logan explained. "And they sent Noh to drag her back there for them." He looked up at Noh. "And they're threatening the school — or Jubes if he doesn't deliver. Did I miss anything?"

"Please, Logan," Noh said in barely a whisper. "I don't want to fight any of you."

"We don't turn people over to SHIELD, Noh," Scott said irritably. "Not unless they're criminals."

As Scott tried to talk to Noh, Logan twitched his little finger, and Kate realized that Kurt was incredibly tense all of a sudden. He very carefully let go of Kate — slowly — just waiting for Noh to turn his head to Scott or Jubilee — who was very clearly coming into the middle of the discussion looking thunderous.

"I don't know that she is a criminal," Noh admitted, taking a deep breath that looked painful. "But I do know SHIELD was… concerned about her being here. They consider her a threat."

"A threat to who? Us?" Scott asked with a frown. "Or are they afraid we'll use her against them?" He sounded angry at the very idea.

Noh turned to face him seriously. "Yes. The answer is yes — to both counts. And more."

As soon as Noh turned his head, Kurt teleported to K, and then both of them disappeared in a swirl of smoke. "Can't have her," Logan told Noh. "And she's not here anymore either." He shrugged, though there wasn't one bit of him that looked relaxed in the least and he had his gaze locked onto Noh. "Too bad."

Noh actually looked downright relieved as he dropped down from the ceiling, still holding his chest with one hand as he landed on his feet. "Don't let her come back here," he said seriously. "SHIELD will send me — or more."

Logan took a step forward. "How are they controlling you?" He narrowed his eyes. "And you might want to cut the crap and just tell me before I help connect the dots on your chest."

Jubilee had made it the rest of the way there and was just gaping at both of them for a moment. "Noh, just — we can help. I know it."

Noh turned to her with a sad sort of smile. "You cannot help if you are all locked away," he said. "Please, don't make this your concern. Be _safe_ , Jubilee."

"It's our concern when you're being sent to pick people up that are just … _living_ here," Jubilee said, shocking Logan at her sudden defense of K. "What happens when they decide to send you after Logan? Or Scott? If they sent you for one, the others aren't a stretch."

Noh faltered and took a step back, shaking his head. "I — would never—"

"What happens if they send someone after me while you're gone hunting down someone else for them?"

"That ... is not the deal I made," Noh said at last, in a rush. "You're safe. _All_ of you."

"And you trust SHIELD not to do that?" Jubilee asked in disbelief, gesturing at him openly. "When they'd force you to do this?"

Noh looked at her with a clearly pleading expression. "At least I can choose not to fight at my best when they send me for things like this," he tried to explain. "I can still return to you — I can still _think_ for myself!"

Jubilee looked near tears, but Logan had stepped back and already had his phone to his ear . "Nick, I think we have a little problem," Logan said very clearly, drawing the attention of all the adults that had been even partway close to him. "I need you to tell me who's been using Noh-Varr." He kept his eyes on a rather shocked-looking Noh as he stepped backward a few more paces, though Noh could hear Fury denying that they'd even talked to Noh on the other end of the line.

The scramble on the other end of the phone continued for some time, and those with advanced hearing could hear Fury shouting to his assistant and the clatter of keyboards typing until it all faded away and, in a very subdued voice, Fury replied _finally_ — and Logan simply thanked him and hung up.

"Noh," Logan said as he let out a long breath. "You can go hunting for K, or you can stay here. Or — whatever. But I'm going to go deal with this. You can tell me yourself — or I can beat it out of Hill — what are they using for a control?"

Noh held his gaze for a long moment before he dropped it, closing his eyes and looking suddenly very tired. "The second band," he said at last.

"Can you take it off?"

He shook his head. "I have tried," he said, the frustration obvious in his tone. "But it doesn't _work._ And the _noise_ , Logan."

Logan waved him over with one hand. "I heard the noise. Come here." When Noh got close enough, Logan asked which arm it was and he barely gave Noh even a bit of warning before he popped a claw and slid it between his arm and the band. For just an instant, everyone in the room with sensitive hearing could hear the whine that sent purpleish-blue bruises like splintered sidewalk up Noh's entire arm as Noh gasped in obvious pain — before Logan simply cut the band in half so Noh could wrench it off and pitch it across the room, sinking to the floor in both relief and exhaustion.

Logan stuck the claw in Noh's face as soon as he was done. "You _tell someone_ when people do this crap to you," Logan growled out. "So it doesn't end with me having to call Fury in the middle of the damn night."

Noh just held his gaze for a long moment and said in a voice that was soft enough only Logan could hear it, "If this doesn't work ... she's going to come after all of you. After my Jubilee."

Logan took a step closer and spoke just as softly. "This whole thing begins and ends with her," Logan told him seriously. "Fury is pulling her in right now. _WE_ are going to Fury. Everyone in this room is safe from any repercussions when it comes to Miss Maria Hill."

It took Noh a long time to let out a breath. "Alright," he said quietly. "I trust you to keep them safe, at least. Thank you."

Logan nodded, then crossed the room to pick up the wrecked arm band and looked up at Scott. "You wanna change before we storm the Helicarrier or are you okay like that?"

"If you think you can wait that long," Scott said, glancing down at his costume.

"I'll make myself wait," Logan promised. "I don't want to be in tight quarters with you like — _that_." He gestured to Scott's entire body with a look of distaste. He then glanced over at Noh, who hadn't moved an inch. "If you're not hunting K, then you're coming too."

Noh nodded quietly. "Yes, of course. I remand myself into your custody."

"You're not a prisoner," Logan told him, shaking his head lightly. "You're a witness. And a victim, apparently. Be ready to tell Fury where the mean lady touched you."

Noh wrinkled his brow for a moment. "No — she was careful not to make contact lest she leave a scent for you," he said honestly.

Jubilee let out a breath and let her shoulders drop as she crouched down next to him. "That's not — you know what? Nevermind. Just. You could have told me about this."

He looked mystified as he looked her way. "Why would I endanger you on purpose?"

"Because I could have _helped you_ ," Jubilee told him. "This could have been over with before you got sent after Logan's … friend."

He let his gaze fall to the floor. "I'm truly sorry, Jubilee."

She threw her arms around his neck and gave him a tight hug. "What did she do to get Hill looking her way anyhow? I couldn't find anything on her at all."

"I don't know much other than that she was… trained. A weapon of some kind, I believe was the term they used," Noh told her before he gently pushed against her shoulders. "Jubilee, you are getting my blood on your shirt."

"Am I hurting you?" Jubes asked, eyes wide.

"I ... couldn't tell you," he admitted with a rueful smile. "Logan's friend seems to have some surprises up her sleeve. But then — I haven't healed fully in some time. A simple hug is nothing." He leaned into her and very gently kissed her forehead. "But as soon as I am healed, Jubilee — my Jubilee — I _swear_ to you I will not hurt you in this way again."

"That's good — because if you do, I'll take your head off," Logan warned him as Jubilee rolled her eyes at Logan.

"So… are we all going to yell at Hill?" Kate asked, waving her hand to get their attention. "Because some of our number are missing."

"Kurt is busy," Logan told her. "So he's not coming. In fact, he won't be back until this is straightened out a little bit."

Kate sighed and slipped the amulet over her head, and as the change started to set in and she turned back into her normal, not-fuzzy self, she said, "Well, there goes my plan for the rest of the night."

"You're not the only one irritated," Logan told her with a little sigh. "Had some plans shaping up myself."

"I am truly sorry," Noh said again, looking between them. "You ... none of you should suffer even the slightest for this. It was my own folly."

It was just a matter of good timing that Scott reappeared then, dressed ready to fight with decidedly looser-fitting slacks. "Let's get moving. The sooner this is done, the sooner we can get back to our version of normalcy."

"Yes, please," Jubilee agreed.

With that, the little group flew up to the helicarrier, and to Noh's surprise, there wasn't even an escort to take them to Fury's office — only Logan, who led the way and zipped down one shortcut after another until they popped into Fury's office from behind the massive screens that covered one wall.

The meeting with Fury was fairly short. He listened to Noh's story and how it happened from the beginning, occasionally asking clarifying questions but otherwise just letting the former Marvel Boy tell the whole truth for the first time since that meeting with Brand. Hill sat there in silence, glaring out the window, but did not defend or deny her actions until the very end when she insisted that the only reason that they'd started looking into K was because they kept getting hits on their system from the mansion.

"Was this just chasing down old, wild leads, Logan?" Fury asked but he simply shook his head.

"Wasn't me. I didn't bother looking too hard, to be honest," Logan said. "Figured when she didn't want to say much, there was probably a reason for it. When it was clear she wasn't trying to kill anyone and didn't _lie to me_ , I figured I had a pretty good idea what she'd gone through once the whole Sabretooth thing was added to the mix."

"I thought it would be prudent to look into her background," Scott said, more to Fury than Logan, though he had his head tipped Logan's way. " _Especially_ when Sabretooth seemed so determined to come after her, so that was on me."

Fury let out a sigh and went to his safe to remove a rather impressive file that he dropped in front of Scott. "Next time you want to look up secret enemy combatants, come to me _first_."

"Wait, wait, back up," Kate said, holding her hands in the signal for a time-out. "Are you telling me my boyfriend is who-knows-where alone with a _secret enemy combatant_? Is she still _active_?"

"It's not something that she was willing to do to begin with," Fury replied. "And _if_ she was active, which we are _certain_ she is not, your fuzzy blue boyfriend would not likely qualify as one of her targets. Unless they attacked her first, she never once killed anyone she didn't _have to_ ," He looked between Logan and Scott for a moment. "She escaped the program by jumping out of a helicopter. She had not been playing nice with Romanoff that night at _all_ before Weapon X dragged her out of there. We tried to track her down at the time — it was a regular race to get to her." He turned back to Kate. "She's been MIA for over ten years."

Kate relaxed substantially. "Well, good. I like her. I didn't want to fight her."

"I'm going to pretend like I didn't hear who is hiding her right now, but whenever you find her, I'm going to need to have a word with her," Fury told them. "If it's a sticking point, I'll come to you."

"That would probably be best," Scott said with a frown. "Seeing as my teammates haven't had the best of luck speaking with SHIELD on your bases — and she's skittish."

"Scott and I both will have to be there when you talk, or it's no deal," Logan told him. Fury thought about it for a moment and just nodded his head before Scott pushed the file to Logan, who let out a little sigh and cracked it open, skimming over large sections of it.

"Noh-Varr," Fury said, finally addressing Noh, who looked almost anxious. "What kind of punishment do you think AD Hill should have? Position will be stripped for sure. Misappropriation of resources and attempted mutiny for starters. Did you have any thoughts on where she should be held until trial?"

Noh looked honestly surprised before a sort of glint came into his eyes as he looked over the woman in Fury's custody. "I had intended to raze the Cube to the ground, but I could be persuaded not to," he said, outright glaring Hill's way.

"Little bit of her own medicine, huh?" Fury said with a nod. "Considering she thought it appropriate to do to you recently, I'll go along with that."

"Even where I come from, we do have a sense of poetic justice — though I doubt a Kree trial and punishment would happen here," Noh said.

"What would that look like?" Fury asked with a little frown, purely out of curiosity.

"For someone as high-profile as the former assistant director, likely Ronan and his accusers would be involved," Noh said with a smirk that kept tugging at the corner of his mouth. "It would be public, and if the charges were enough to warrant it, the Supreme Intelligence might even get involved for an execution or banishment."

"I almost wish we had a system like that," Jubilee said quietly with her head on Noh's shoulder. "Even if it sounds a bit drunk with power."

"But if we did that, we would not need to hold the assistant director before her trial. Ronan himself can put those awaiting his judgment into a state like suspended animation." Noh smirked. "It makes escape far more difficult."

She wrapped her arms around his and gave a little squeeze. "And you just went to creepy with that."

"I ... didn't mean to," he said, looking her way with wide eyes as he lost the smirk. "I was speaking honestly and from experience."

"Well, that just makes me want to melt his stupid face off," Jubilee said in a gruff tone.

Noh shrugged. "Director Fury did ask."

"I meant I want to melt Ronan's face off, silly," Jubilee said with a smirk.

"I would not dare stand in the way of any crusade you choose," he replied, grinning outright.

"That's good, because they never see _me_ coming," Jubilee said, shaking one finger at him. "Not until it's too late."

"You are a fearsome warrior indeed," he agreed, smiling wider.

"If that's all," Logan said as he closed the file with a sigh and pushed it back to Fury. "Very little of that is any kind of a surprise, really. And I have plans I'd like to get back to." Scott looked toward Logan with a raised eyebrow, though he kept his comments to himself about all that he'd read in that very thick, very detailed file.

Fury just waved them off, and the group once again rushed to keep up as Logan slipped down a whole different set of shortcuts and secret passages to spit them out right next to the blackbird.

They weren't in the plane more than five minutes before Scott turned to Noh, who was still looking like he was just steeling himself for something else awful.

"You're going to be showing up at team practices now, right?" Scott asked.

Noh stared at him openly, completely disarmed. "What ... yes? If — if that's what you want. I thought…"

"If you want to be on the team, that's what you _need_ to do. I'd like to see you with the team more. Learn how to work alongside us best," Scott said. "It's not always easy to integrate new people. Even when they're as skilled as you are — it takes practice."

Noh was still staring at him. "Yes, I understand that — I just… Surely you can't be serious. Are you certain you want me on your team? What I've done—"

"We've done worse," Scott assured him. "Logan killed my first wife — what? Five? Six times?" Scott gave Logan a look that had no fire to it and Logan was sure most of that was for Noh's benefit, so he just shrugged in response.

"Something like that," Logan replied as he kept his smirk to himself at Jubilee's expression.

Scott nodded. "We clash with SHIELD all the time. We fight each other — get possessed — time travel ... get attacked _by_ time travellers. There is very little you can do to shock us."

A smile started at the corner of Noh's mouth, totally disbelieving and relieved all at once. "Then ... let me do everything in my power to be worthy of your trust — and to regain it."

"Just keep trying to do good," Logan told him.

"And when you're in trouble — _tell_ someone," Scott added. "We can't help unless we know, and we're _not_ going to judge you for it. "

"This… is a far different reaction than I expected or have experienced," Noh said quietly.

"That's because the X-Men are more like a family," Jubilee told him as she punched his shoulder lightly. "Buncha misfits and orphans with superpowers." She looked Kate's way with a smile. "Or most of us are."

"Oh no — misfit and orphan. You got that right," Kate said with a dry smirk.

"Does it count as an orphan if you're a grown up when it happens?" Logan asked her with a frown.

"Depends," Kate said, tipping her head his way with the beginnings of a troublemaking grin. "Does this mean I'm not four and a half?"

He just watched her for a minute with a small appraising look. "You're not four and a half," Logan said finally, though he paused before he continued. "More like five."

"Well, at least he's getting closer," Kate said with a sigh and a smirk Jubilee's way.

"Don't expect much there," Jubilee said before she turned to Logan. "Are you having Kurt bring back your secret assassin viking?"

"Not right away," Logan admitted. "Gotta talk to her myself and see if she even _wants_ to come back."

"If my absence can ease that," Noh said quietly, "I can oblige."

Logan gave him a very open look. "Oh, she's not afraid of you," he clarified. "She wasn't scared one iota that whole time."

"I am both insulted and relieved." Noh shook his head the slightest bit before he tried for a little joking, "And trying very hard not to point out I was not operating at my peak."

"If that file was right that Fury had, and I'm sure at least part of it was, she's not afraid of much." Logan shook his head. "Though if the training reports are right, it might be less a bravery thing and more a stubborn as hell thing."

"Great — she'll fit right in," Kate said dryly.

"I'll go see if she wants to play nice or slip off." He looked up toward Scott. "I'll _try_ to get her to play nice. She might be good to have around for the girls to train with if no one tries to evaluate her."

"Yeah. _That's_ the reason." Kate shot Logan a very smug smile.

"Not sure what you're so smug about. She's got your Elf in her grip right now," Logan said with no hint of a smile. "God only knows where she had him take her, and she's got more of a rep for seductress if that file's on point."

Kate scrunched her face up at him. "No. Just — no."

From there, the rest of the flight back to the mansion was almost as quiet — and just as short — as the flight to the helicarrier had been, though it was a more relaxed silence as opposed to the tense one that had marked their earlier flight, especially with Jubilee and Noh all but tucked into each other the whole way home.

They were met in the hangar by a very serious-looking Kurt, who seemed as though he was ready to fight or disappear again at the drop of a hat. "She staying put?" Logan asked him and Kurt half shrugged his way.

"She said she would?" Kurt replied. "For now she's at her house — not that anyone but me knows where that is." When he saw that there wasn't any reason to jump into a fight, he just started smirking Logan's way. "I think you'll _like_ it there."

"That … does not sound like something I want to hear ever, _ever_ in the history of the world," Jubilee said dryly with her nose tipped up the slightest. "It could go too many ways. Don't do that."

Kurt's smirk simply widened as he looked her way. "Ah, but it's the truth," he teased her.

"Not cool," Jubilee said, as Kurt just started to laugh. "I so totally need a shower now. Rude." She spun to look at Noh. "If you leave the grounds before I get a hold of you … well. You do not want to do that." With that, she ran off for her room with a grin, looking forward to her Halloween evening of scary movies and popcorn for what was left of it.


	17. A Word With Scott And Logan

**Notes from robbie: Well, here we are at the end of Volume 5. *phew* It's been quite the ride. ;) We'll be putting up Volume 6 on my (robbiepoo2341's) profile ("Potential") pretty soon, so keep an eye out.**

 **From CC: Ok. So. Just … I personally IGNORE Madeline Pryor. She was like … a stand in. Yes. non-existent. In my head his first WIFE and true LOVE before she died for keeps is Jean. That is all. So … for MY PERSONAL headcannon - Jean Grey = 1st Mrs. Summers. ((robbie agrees wholeheartedly and adds that anything Sinister tried to contribute to Scott's life DOES NOT COUNT because she is the president of the Protect Scott Summers Society)) Also. Before there is any argument on the matter - I don't care what 616 does. This is OUR playground. So we willfully ignore whatever we think is stupid. So ... whatever you know about 616 - means exactly jack and shit here.**

 **As far as movies in the mansion? Well. You should write that.**

* * *

 **Chapter 17: "A Word With Scott and Logan"**

* * *

After Jubilee had rushed off to go take a shower — and probably pop some popcorn for scary movies — Noh put a hand on Logan's arm, as well as a hand on Scott's shoulder. "I wonder, my friends, if I could have a quick word. Before anything else happens — as it so often seems to," he said softly, his expression entirely serious.

The two X-Men shared a look and quickly agreed. "Anywhere special you want this word?" Logan asked. "Or can we just … "

"I… am not entirely sure," Noh admitted, looking sheepish.

"Why don't we head down to the War Room," Scott suggested. "No one can overhear us there."

"That ... may be appropriate," Noh said, though he looked somehow more nervous than he had when he thought he was turning himself over to their custody for what he'd done under Hill.

Logan and Scott frowned at each other, but with a nod, Logan led the way and held the door open as the other two stepped inside. Once they were there, the two older men just leaned against the table with their arms crossed and nearly identical frowns on their faces as they waited.

"I admit, I'm not sure of the procedure here," Noh said with a sigh as he ran one hand through his hair. "And perhaps my timing needs work. But I do not want to risk anything else happening to deter me — and so... it is my understanding that if I am to become engaged to be married on your world, I must ask permission first of those whose respect I would earn." He looked between the two of them. "And so I ask it, and will do whatever is required in this custom to show my intent and sincerty."

Scott just grinned from ear to ear and looked down at Logan — who had just… _stopped_. "Your call," Scott said with a little chuckle. "But I have to ask you, Noh — Do you love her?"

"Of course I do," Noh said, sounding surprised. "I thought that was the point of marriage in this region of your world."

Scott was trying to keep from smiling so hard as he nodded, but he simply couldn't help himself. But when there was no response from Logan and Noh was still standing there looking so _hopeful,_ Scott elbowed his old teammate.

"Right," Logan said to himself as he shifted and bit the inside of his cheek. "You're not gonna pull any more of this stupid stuff that's going to make me have to kill you, right?"

"I assure you, with Jubilee as my life partner, to whom I have pledged my every loyalty and every secret — I feel I could hardly 'pull' any such thing," Noh said earnestly. "Not after what it has done to her this time."

"That's a fair answer, Logan," Scott said out of the side of his mouth.

Logan glared up at him for a moment and let out a deep breath all at once. "She loves you and I just want her happy," Logan said slowly. "So — make her happy. Go ahead."

Noh beamed at both of them for a moment before, hesitantly, he asked, "Is there any — do I need to declare anything formally, or…?"

"The only other thing you need to know at this point is that if you break her heart, I'll do things to you that will give your ancestors pains."

"I understand." Noh looked between the two of them. "Thank you both. Truly." He looked both relieved and exuberant before he made for the door in a flurry of movement, clearly ready to _go_.

When Logan got out of the War Room, Kurt and Kate were standing outside with smiles on their faces, chatting quietly as Noh rushed past them both.

"Someone missed his Spaceman Spiff," Kate said, and Kurt had to chuckle at her, his arms wrapped around her before he looked up at Logan.

"Are you ready to go, _mein Freund_?" Kurt asked. "I was just telling Kate that there's a waterfall at her little cottage."

Logan just blinked hard his direction for a moment as if Kurt had lost his mind. "What the hell are you talking about now?" Logan asked, a frown firmly in place.

"The hiding spot she picked out," Kurt grinned. "It's quite lovely. She said if she's gone, I can use it for my birthday."

Logan looked at Kate, who was grinning widely now and fingering the leather pouch that held her amulet. "Can you hold off for ten minutes?"

"I _suppose_ ," Kate said as if this was a huge imposition before she grinned back at Kurt. "It might take me that long to walk back to our room on my own after I turn back into an Elf."

Kurt grinned and stole a kiss before he let her go and put his hand on Logan's shoulder. "I'll be right back," he promised Kate. "Don't expect him to come back, though."

Logan gave him a _look_ before the two of them disappeared in a poof of smoke — and Kate was left with a widely grinning Scott.

"You will not believe what just happened," Scott said to her.

"Try me," she said with a smirk.

"Noh just asked our _permission_ to propose to Jubilee," Scott told her. He was still grinning so widely that it almost looked painful. "Logan was completely knocked off his game."

Kate turned to stare at him openly. "No. Really? What… and it's not on tape or… oh my _gosh_!"

Scott shook his head, his grin threatening to split his face in half. "I had to elbow him to get him back. It — I've never seen that before."

"And I _missed it_." Kate just stared at him as she slowly shook his head. "That — that's beautiful. Oh my gosh. What did he say? What did _Noh_ say?"

"Come on, I'll tell you all about it," Scott said. "On the way upstairs. In case you need a crutch to walk."

Kate snorted as she tossed the sack containing the amulet in the air. "Don't fight the tail, Scott. Don't fight the tail," she said, giggling.

* * *

Kurt was grinning when he showed Logan where they were — somewhere with lots of evergreens, and with tall ferns that were a crunchy brown even as snow was starting to fall around them. "I'm telling you," Kurt said. "You're going to love this place. We started a fire."

Logan gave him a look and just walked alongside his friend, with the sound of crashing waves growing a bit louder as they walked. It didn't smell salty, so he really wasn't sure where he was with waves that loud — though when he saw the massive lake, and the huge waves crashing against the rocky shore, he had to smirk a bit. There were only a handful of places on the planet that would have a view like that and not be on the sea.

A little further down the path, he finally spotted the little cottage — picturesque and with a tendril of smoke coming out of the chimney as the fire lit up the windows. "Where the hell are we?" Logan asked, but Kurt just laughed before he half shouted over the roar of the waves.

"I'm sworn to secrecy," Kurt said, "but I'm sure you'll get her to tell you if you're nice." The two of them stepped into the little cottage, and K turned to greet them, no longer in the costume but dressed for the weather with a bag packed at her feet.

"Am I leaving now or later?" she asked as Kurt gave her a little wave and stepped back outside. Had it not been for the enhanced senses, they both would have missed the sound of him disappearing in the crashing waves.

"I'd like you to tell me about the file Fury has on you," Logan said quietly. "And if you _want_ to come back, we'll figure out how to get SHIELD off your back." She let out a breath and nodded before she invited him to take a seat.

"How is Kurt going to know when you're ready to go back?" K asked.

"Don't worry about it, just take your time. I've got nowhere more important to be anytime soon."

"So you say," she said before she took the seat nearest the fire, sitting on her feet. The two of them just shared a look for a moment before she held her breath for a moment. "Okay, but you're going to need to tell me what you have questions about because I know I've read _your_ file; but I also know that what's in it is slanted by the moron that wrote it."

He let out a little laugh and nodded. "Fair enough," he agreed. "How about we both clear the air then?"

She nodded and with that, the two of them began to trade _their_ perspective on how some of the more spectacular sections of their individual reports read, and after a good long while, the extensive rumors and stories that both of them wanted to know if the other had anything to do with.

Before long, the mood had shifted from very on edge and concerned, to relaxed and joking around as he broke out the whiskey and they settled in to try to be more open about both of their pasts.

* * *

Noh didn't return to Jubilee's room immediately after he had spoken with Scott and Logan. Instead, he went to his ship and slipped off the Kree band Bran had given him as soon as he reached the workshop where he had once examined a Phoenix-like weapon and drawn the attention of Corsair.

He worked quickly, cutting off a section of the band very precisely, and while the metal was still heated from the laser cut, he carefully molded it until it was the right size. Once that was done, he took only a second to smooth out the edge of Brand's band, which whined slightly until he put it back on and let his own excitement calm the damaged psionic circuits until it cooled off again.

But still, he didn't go directly to Jubilee's room after that. He had one last stop that he wanted to make.

He knocked gently on the doorframe to Hank's lab as he entered, and the fuzzy blue doctor looked up with a frown when he saw his visitor. Noh saw that the note he had left for the good doctor was gone from the desk — so he had seen it — but he also knew that Hank had been at the Halloween party when everything had come to a head.

"I failed utterly and completely at what I set out to do when I left you that note," Noh said quickly, gesturing toward the desk where he had scribbled his message to Hank. "I intended to find a way to escape my bonds and instead only succeeded in shortening the leash…" He let out a weary breath. "If it is not too terribly late to ask… I believe I need your medical assistance once more — and I owe you a full explanation of _everything_ that has happened, as I promised. And I intend to beg your forgiveness, though I would understand if you refuse to give it."

"Let's just take care of the most pressing matters first, and then we'll discuss the massive error you made earlier," Hank replied. "Though I did hear the overview on what transpired while you were playing in your ship."

Noh let out a little breath but couldn't school the small smile that started anyway. "I wasn't playing," he said softly.

"That remains to be seen," Hank argued. "Medical help, is I believe what you needed?"

Noh nodded, gesturing the the claw marks on his chest, the fractured membrane across his arm… "Yes."

"So many claws," Henry said, shaking his head as he gathered up his supplies.

"Yes, I do have marks from all three," Noh said in an attempt at humor. He tipped his head to the side and took in a deep breath. "I promised to tell you everything, and that's my intent," he muttered to himself more than anything else.

"We'll likely be here for a moment or two, so I suggest you start talking while I work." He frowned for a moment. "How deep are these?"

"Fairly," Noh admitted.

"Now you know not to pick up a clawed woman without permission," Hank said.

Noh had to smirk at that and shook his head. He took a moment to arrange his thoughts before he simply started to tell Hank in a measured tone _everything_ that had happened, from his visit with Brand to Hill's threats against Jubilee and the others, and everything in between. By the time he was finished, so was Hank, but Hank let him finish his story with a strange sort of expression on his face.

"When I left, I had every intention of asking Brand to help me end this travesty," Noh added. "But — that's not what happened, and I cannot change it. The only thing I can do is learn from it — and…" He paused. "What I have learned is that the idea of Jubilee being harmed is more frightening to me than even losing my own mind to SHIELD again."

"That is not something that you would ever need to bear alone," Hank said. "We all love her as well."

"I've seen that," Noh agreed. "But… I think you'll agree that you love her a little differently than I do," he added, this time trying for a small smirk. "I want to ask her to marry me."

"As long as you understand that we are her family — and will fight on her behalf — I see no trouble with asking her," Hank said diplomatically.

Noh looked _very_ relieved to hear it. "I… thank you," he breathed out. He got to his feet and then paused, turning Hank's way. "I have already spoken to Logan and Scott and given them my word never to make these same mistakes. I offer it to you as well."

"I'd prefer you make sure that instead of repeating the same mistake, you promise to inform _her_ of any trouble you come across."

"Doctor McCoy," Noh said, turning his way with a little smile, "why would I keep anything from my _wife_?"

"A fair point, however, I've found that it's hard to imagine a woman agreeing to that kind of a commitment if she doesn't already trust you implicitly." He tipped his chin down to look over his spectacles at him. "Good luck."

Noh just swallowed and nodded once Hank's way before he left, finally reaching the door to Jubilee's room, and he found that he had to pause just outside the door, suddenly terrified. He rested a hand against the doorframe and took in a deep, steadying breath before he shouldered his way through the door.

"I'm sorry to take so long," Noh said with a little smile. "I wanted to speak with Scott and Logan — and get myself seen to before I get any more of my blood on you," he added, gesturing at himself and the new bandages. "But I swear to you — I will not be leaving your side anytime soon unless you wish me to."

Jubilee grinned up at him and paused the scary movie she had been watching, set the popcorn aside, and just wrapped her arms around him carefully and gently. "You better not run off, mister," she said, only half teasing as she laid her head on his chest.

"I'm not planning to," he assured her. He put one hand on either of her arms to push her back slightly so he could see her better. "Jubilee ... so much has happened, and I must ask you… and answer me honestly. Do you still trust me? Is that even something I can ask of you?"

"You don't have to ask," Jubilee said easily. " _Of course_ I trust you. I never didn't."

"And — when you told me you loved me," he said hesitatingly. "This was not just a tool to keep me from leaving?"

She raised one eyebrow at him. "I am _not_ that kind of girl, Noh-Varr," she replied. "I have grown up with loss and misery — and I learned a long time ago that you only hurt yourself when you don't admit how you feel. So no. It wasn't some _cheap_ _trick_ to try to keep you with me."

He let out an obvious sigh of relief. "That is good to hear." He took a slight step back as he looked her over. "I have one more question for you — if that's alright. And then I swear to let you alone — or to hold you close — or whatever you wish of me."

"Did K hit your head?" Jubilee teased. "You're acting strangely."

"I don't mean to," he said honestly. "I am still learning about your customs. For as long as I've been here, it feels like there is still so much to learn, and…" He simply dropped so that he was sitting on both knees. "I only know a few bits and pieces, but I'm sure there is kneeling involved," he explained. "And... I am sure that you require a ring, but I am not sure at what point to offer you one, so instead I will just… ask you what to do." He grinned sheepishly. "I'm trying to ask you to marry me, but I don't know how."

"I think you just did," Jubilee said with a steadily growing smile. "And I'd love to."

"Wonderful!" He grinned up at her from the floor. "Now ... at what point do I present you with a ring? I am at a loss."

She grinned at him, only just biting back the little laugh that wanted to escape, and offered him her hand. "Anytime, really. I already said yes."

He was beaming ear to ear as he pulled out the jet black ring and slid it onto her finger. When he placed his hand over hers and touched the metal there, it hummed and spread an electric warmth through her from her arm across her whole body. "I was not sure if this was customary on Earth, but I felt ... since you had expressed interest in their powers…"

She all but tackled him with a kiss and quickly assured him between kisses that it was perfect and that she would very much like to snuggle up with him now.

He swept her up in his arms and carried her to the bed. "Yes, of course," he told her as he kissed her neck. "Whatever you ask."

* * *

Nearly a week had passed before Scott finally managed to nail Kurt down for more than thirty seconds and _again_ ask that he go pick up their missing team member.

"Kurt!" Scott shouted when he very nearly snuck up on him. "You have to go get him — and I don't care if he hasn't called for a ride. Go. Anyhow."

"Ooh, better send the bamfs ahead just in case," Kate said with a little smirk as she had Kurt around the waist.

"They have the sense not to go," Kurt said, shaking his head at Scott. "Honestly, I'm sure he's fine. He'll call when he's ready to come back."

"You didn't read what was in that file," Scott pointed out. "Come on. He won't answer my calls, and you know as well as I do that if he was in trouble — which, I know. Probably not," he added with both hands up in a conciliatory gesture. "But still. He wouldn't ask for help."

"Have a little faith, Scott," Kurt said with a light shrug. But Scott just fixed him with such a look that it took a moment before Kurt finally let out a breath. "I'll send the bamfs."

"Thank you," Scott told him earnestly before he let out a sigh. "Annie is beside herself trying to help keep up the history lessons. She is _livid_ that he just disappeared like that with no lesson plans left behind."

Kurt shook his head but turned to the nearest bamf and started to tell him very seriously in German what he expected of the little guys, but right away, the bamf frowned at him and shook his head 'no'. Kurt closed his eyes and steeled himself, sounding much more irritated and stern as he narrowed his eyes and laid into him, but again, the little bamf said no, this time crossing his little arms obstinately as he closed his eyes and slowly shook his head 'no'.

Kate nearly jumped when Kurt all but snarled at the little guy, and with a surprised, startled look, the little bamf finally disappeared. When he reappeared a few minutes later, he very seriously told Kurt something in their little language as Kurt let out a breath and nodded his head, thanking him profusely before he turned to Scott. "They are fine, and they won't need a ride until early tomorrow morning," Kurt said as Kate took the little bamf in her arms and kissed his cheek as she just started to spoil him.

"Tomorrow morning?" Scott asked as Kurt and Kate began to walk away, only slightly put out when Kurt nodded 'yes,' but then stopped walking all together.

"Of course, K said she'd hold him hostage if you kept calling." Kurt grinned his way for just a moment and waited until Scott just shook his head in disbelief.

"Of course she did," he said dryly. "Thank you," Scott called out, turning on his heel and heading off to tell Annie what the plan had become. At least for now.

Kate laughed as Scott walked off and kept ruffling the little bamf's hair. "Such a brave little soul," she cooed at him before she grinned at Kurt impishly.

"Not as brave as you'd think," Kurt said with a fond little smile. "He said they were curled up in front of the fire, half asleep. She gave him a cookie before he left."

"Spoiled little imp," Kate said, sticking her tongue out at the little guy, who just giggled at her.

* * *

The next morning, Kurt and Kate came down a bit earlier than usual to find that K was actually cooking something. She looked over at Kate when she came in and had to smirk a bit. "Do you ever eat with coffee?" K asked.

"Not until I'm _awake_ ," Kate replied as she filled her cup.

"That's a shame," K said. "Limited time offer." She looked up at Kurt, who nodded, and a few moments later, he had a plateful of paper-thin crepes folded into quarters. She pushed a jar of jam his way. "Traditional — but I like them with a little whipped cream too."

"Okay — that… actually looks really good," Kate said as she peered at Kurt's plate.

"Just a few minutes," K told her, working quickly to turn out a little arrangement for Kate too. She kept working, rushing through the job and taking all that she made to slip into the warm oven before she got her own plate and took a seat near the two of them. "Enjoy."

"Is this like a reverse housewarming?" Kate asked.

"It's like — I wanted Swedish pancakes," K replied with a shrug. "With lingonberries."

"I'll take it," Kate said, grinning.

"Where is Logan this morning?" Kurt asked between bites. "I thought he'd be nearby."

K frowned a bit at her coffee. "Arranging a meeting," she said finally with her nose wrinkled up. "With Scott right now. I think."

"Somehow, I'm not surprised," Kate said with a small smile. "Scott was using all his phone privileges on you," she teased.

"I was busy," K defended.

"You certainly were," Kate said, smirking wider.

"When you see the place, you'll understand," K promised. She tipped her chin up toward Kurt as she addressed Kate. "He didn't even see the view until this morning. It was dark out last time."

"It's quite lovely," Kurt said to Kate. "And amazingly well hidden."

"And you were serious about letting us borrow it for his birthday in a few days?" Kate asked K with a little twinkle in her eyes.

K just nodded. "Yep," she replied. "I'm not going back for a while, it seems."

Kate broke into a wide grin. "Oh good. I like having you around," she said, grinning through a mouthful of pancakes as Noh and Jubilee slipped into the kitchen.

"Breakfast is in the oven," K advised the two of them. "Skip it at your own risk."

"You don't want to skip it," Kate added when she saw Noh hesitate, his wide-eyed gaze on K for a long time.

"Swedish pancakes," K clarified. "Rarely done right outside of the midwest."

"I — I'm glad to see you're staying," Noh said at last as he seemed to be working out what he wanted to say.

K looked up at him for a moment and watched his hesitation. "Am I going to have to do this for him?" she asked Kate.

"He's an idiot. Give him a second and he'll figure it out," Kate said, then paused. "Maybe."

K let out a sigh and pushed away from her plate to walk over and grab his hand and pull him into the kitchen. She didn't say a word as she set him up with a plate and then popped up on her toes to give him a quick kiss on the cheek. "I'm glad I didn't kill you. I kinda … almost wanted to. And Logan told me what happened with you and Jubilee." She gave him a little smirk, just watching to see his reaction.

"You would have been entirely justified," he told her. "And I would not hold it against you — especially when both of us were acting out of a fear of captivity."

"It wasn't the captivity that I was trying to avoid," K told him. "But I can respect that."

"I hope — we can continue to live together. I would very much like to continue our friendship, but of course, that is your own decision." He shrugged, though it was obvious from the almost pleading look on his face that he wanted to stay friendly.

"It depends entirely on how my meeting goes," K replied. "But for now - have some coffee and a bit of Sweden." She gave him a little smile and looked past him to Jubilee and gestured to the crepes. "You too. I've been told to tell you to 'stop being a brat'."

Jubilee smirked her way for a moment but then paused as K approached. "We still need to talk," she said. "But maybe actually talk. I was in a mood before."

K gave her an appraising look and just nodded before she squeezed Jubilee's arm and went back to her seat. "Congratulations, you two," K said, tipping her head toward Jubilee's left hand and the unmistakable Kree ring there. "You're very cute together."

"I know. It makes me and Kurt look tame," Kate said, shaking her head at the newly engaged couple.

"Rabid cuteness," K commented. "I hope it's not contagious."

"I'm sorry, but if you're not infected by now, you're probably at least a carrier," Kate said.

"I am _so_ not a carrier. Healing ability handles all that nonsense and burns it right off," K replied with a shake of her head. "You two are dripping of it, though."

"That is a good thing, right?" Noh asked with a smile, trying to follow their ridiculous conversation.

"For most, yes," K said with a nod. "Don't worry yourselves about it, just — watch what you're doing with all that glitter. It's dangerous."

"There will only be glitter in the decorations," Noh said earnestly. "And perhaps in her dress, as I understand it." He leaned forward with wide eyes. "I have been researching."

"I'm sure you have." K looked toward Kate with one eyebrow raised before she pointedly went back to her breakfast.

It wasn't long before they were joined in the kitchen by a serious-looking Scott, who crossed his arms before he just tipped his head at K. "We're ready," he said simply.

She smiled sedately his way and picked up her coffee mug. "Nice knowing you," she said as she glided ahead of Scott a few paces down to Charles' old office, where Logan and Fury were waiting. Scott closed and locked the door behind them as she made her way to take a seat across from a fairly concerned-looking Fury, who introduced himself and went on to say he simply wanted her side of the story.

As per Logan's request, he'd brought the file that he had on her, and he handed it to her as he told her that this was all they had to go off of when it came to her history, which included a relocation by a pair of SHIELD agents that she claimed she couldn't remember the name of.

Fury pressed, but she feigned ignorance well enough that even Logan was left wondering how much she could remember or not. K wrinkled her nose when she saw the letterheads on 80% of the material and thumbed through it quickly as she filled them in on her side. Typical, she said, of the program. Snatch and grab, testing, training, all that you'd expect.

She told them about a few of the missions she'd run — including her side of the story on the run-in with Natasha. "She was a lovely, talented girl, but she was too intense that night to be mistaken for anything but a spy on a job like that one," K said. "Much more on edge than other jobs I'd seen her at."

But her story was one that sounded all-too familiar in that none of it was by her consent, and the first real opportunity she had, she used every bit of her creativity and all that extensive training and conditioning to give the program a big fat middle finger and disappear. The only part of the story that had Fury frowning and making notes was the part where she said that it was SHIELD that had helped her to initially disappear. Whoever it was that had done the job had been good, and Fury obviously wanted to put a name to the Agent that had let a Weapon X operative slip through SHIELD's system.

But after that, it was again straight forward, including how SHIELD lost track of her so completely for so long, though she refused to elaborate how she'd kept hidden for so many years.

"Which is where Creed came in," K said calmly as Scott refilled her mug and leaned on the desk to listen to her. "Major investments were made — and they wanted their money back. Or the material. I … just decided it was an old engagement ring from an ex that I am not obligated to part with." She then leveled her gaze at Fury. "So. What does SHIELD want with an ex-operative that hasn't been causing a lick of trouble and has managed to avoid even your sharp eye in ten years?"

"SHIELD doesn't concern itself with former operatives who have gone into more or less retirement," Fury said frankly. "Not unless they're causing trouble for our people. Hill, on the other hand—" He let out a sigh. "—saw an opportunity. You and Noh-Varr, you are both operatives outside of SHIELD and with no official ties to any teams like the Avengers or X-Men. She saw that as something she could use in her power grab. Obviously she was unaware of the ties you'd formed here, or thought she could exploit them to make you go down her list."

"Do you know who was on her hit list?" K asked. "Specifically — who did she think she could send me after that the sweet little boy in white couldn't handle — or where he couldn't get in to?"

Fury tipped his head her way. "We know she wanted Logan out of her way — and more than likely, she'd have sent you instead of Marvel Boy when she made her play for me," he told her. "Especially since Logan was on _your_ hitlist from Weapon X." He leaned forward a bit. "Is that something we should concern ourselves with?"

But K just waved it off. "Never got that order, probably wouldn't have even tried to follow through on it. But Hill? See, now — leaders like that usually end up dead by their own people," K said with narrowed eyes. "And part of the reason it didn't really work too well for the _other guys_ was because I wasn't exactly … "

"Cooperative?" Fury offered.

She glared at him just the slightest. "I'm not going to agree with you on that one, but you're not wrong either." She shook her head. "I was not compliant. With anyone. Stubborn, I guess, is a good way to put it. And, for the record, I'm not killing anyone without a damn good reason — or if they try to kill me first. So I hope you're not looking for yourself now that Hill cracked open that can of worms."

Fury shook his head slowly. "Are you going to do work with the X-Men or should I just close your file all together?" K looked taken off guard by the question — or its phrasing. One or the other and didn't want to answer the question, obviously.

Scott looked between the two of them and gave Fury the slightest of smirks. "You might want to save space for her work with us. I'm sure — if she decides to join up — you'll want to give her a medal or two."

K turned to look at Scott with a little bit of a glare as he smirked her way. She rolled her neck to look at Fury, who was stoic as ever. "There has to be some kind of tie breaker here." She looked incredibly serious before a smirk started at the corner of her mouth and very slowly allowed it to stretch into a smile. "I need you both to stand up for me." She looked up at Scott. "Gimmie a little twirl."

He looked taken aback for just a second before a tiny flush started. "I'm not parading for your entertainment."

"It's not a parade. And it's not for my entertainment, it's for my _loyalty_ ," she clarified before she turned to Fury. "You too. Get with it." Logan had both hands covering his face to try and hide the smile.

"Really? Neither one of you?" She let out a weary breath as if the whole thing had been terribly taxing. "Then I guess I'll just stick with this one," she said, tipping her head slightly Scott's way. "He did a lot more than just let me ogle him. But let's be honest. You both suck. No sense of humor, and you—" She pointed at Scott outright. "—probably would have lost. I bet the director's got a much nicer ass."

Logan shot Fury a smirk. "Don't close her file," he said. "She's with me — I'm sure there'll be something worth reading sooner or later." With that, the two of them left the room, and when they got to the kitchen, Logan was holding back laughter and K was grinning.

"That has to be some kind of record," K said with a little chuckle. "I broke them both. _Both_ of them."

He gave her a little smile before he just picked her up and slung her over his shoulder. "Yeah, and one of them is going to recover and probably have a fit. We have better things to do than listen to that noise."


End file.
